我的暑假第十九天: (3) Can trees talk
Yes—but not in words
Scientists have reasons to believe that trees do communicate with each other
Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things
First a willow tree( 柳 树 ) attacked in the woods by caterpillars( 毛 毛 虫 ) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that the caterpillars got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them
The even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapour — a signal causing its neighbours to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty
Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be always in words
We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands
We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements