Can Insects Hear Plants? A Study Says Yes

Plants don’t scream, but new research from Tel Aviv University (TAU) from Israel found that insects could hear them. The study discovered that insects, specifically female moths, can hear sounds of plants and make decisions using it.

Their research builds upon their previous study that plants make sound. Plants experiencing drought frequently make a “pop” sound, inaudible to human ears. Hydrated plants, however, barely make any sound. And their question was, “who listens to this sound?”

They conducted an experiment with female moths because their larvae feed on plants, and figured that mother moths select healthy plants for laying eggs.

The first experiment began with two boxes. One containing a speaker playing recordings of a dehydrated tomato plant, while the other is completely silent. Most moths were drawn to the “noisy box”, suggesting they interpreted the sound as a sign of a “living plant”. But after impairing the moths’ hearing, they equally chose both boxes. This behaviour indicated that their preference was solely based on what they hear, not on what they could see, feel, or smell.

The second experiment presented two actual healthy tomato plants. One that is making sound of a drying plant, and another that is silent. The moths went to the silent one, suggesting their preference for a healthier plant.

The researchers believe their study could be invaluable, especially in agriculture, where it could lead to the invention of new ways of effective pest control, alternative to chemicals.

The study was conducted in the laboratories of Prof. Yossi Yovel from the School of Zoology and Prof. Lilach Hadany from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at TAU’s Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. It was led by students Dr. Rya Seltzer and Guy Zer Eshel, in collaboration with scientists from the Plant Protection Institute at the Volcani Institute.

“In this study, we revealed the first evidence for acoustic interaction between a plant and an insect. We are convinced, however, that this is just the beginning. Acoustic interaction between plants and animals undoubtedly takes many more forms and fulfills a wide range of ecological roles. This remains a vast, largely unexplored field — an entire world awaiting discovery”, the researchers wrote.

These findings might be small, but in the bigger picture, they could help us for the next step in understanding how plants and animals interact. It could make way for innovations in different fields such as agriculture, pest control, and much more!

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