Invisible orchestra: Animals react to secret sounds from plants, say scientists

New research has suggested that animals react to sounds made by plants, hinting at the existence of an invisible, acoustic ecosystem. A team at Israel's Tel Aviv University has provided the first-ever evidence of this phenomenon, the BBC reported, adding that the discovery could redefine humans' understanding of interspecies communication.

In the experiment, researchers focused on female moths, which typically lay their eggs on tomato plants so that the larvae can feed on them once hatched. They found that female moths actively avoid laying eggs on tomato plants emitting distress signals.

This comes two years after the same team found that plants "scream" when distressed or unhealthy. These sounds, imperceptible to the human ear, are within the range of many insects, bats, and certain mammals.

"This is the first demonstration ever of an animal responding to sounds produced by a plant," professor Yossi Yovel of Tel Aviv University told the publication. While still speculative, he suggests, "it could be that all sorts of animals will make decisions based on the sounds they hear from plants, such as whether to pollinate or hide inside them or eat the plant."