READING TEXT
Trees Stay Connected: The Wood Wide Web
People use the Internet — the World Wide Web — to connect with others and share information. Interestingly, trees have their own version: it’s often called the Wood Wide Web. Through their roots and small fungi in the soil, trees send signals and help one another. If one tree is in trouble, it sends out a signal. Noticing the signal of the tree in trouble, trees nearby respond. For example, when a tree lacks water, other trees may share water through their roots.
Older trees can even help young trees grow. When young trees cannot get enough sunlight, they make fewer nutrients. The older trees can share the nutrients they make to help the young trees. So the next time you walk in a forest, remember that the trees are working together to stay strong.
People use the Internet — the World Wide Web — to connect with others and share information. Interestingly, trees have their own version: it’s often called the Wood Wide Web. Through their roots and small fungi in the soil, trees send signals and help one another. If one tree is in trouble, it sends out a signal. Noticing the signal of the tree in trouble, trees nearby respond. For example, when a tree lacks water, other trees may share water through their roots.
Older trees can even help young trees grow. When young trees cannot get enough sunlight, they make fewer nutrients. The older trees can share the nutrients they make to help the young trees. So the next time you walk in a forest, remember that the trees are working together to stay strong.