Summary
Explores how plants 'communicate' — sending chemical signals through air and soil to warn nearby plants of pests, attract pollinators, or recruit predators of their attackers — revealing that plants are far more active than they appear.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- How do plants 'send messages' without brains or mouths?
- Why would a plant release a chemical signal when it is attacked by insects?
- Do you think this counts as 'communication'? What does communication require?
- How might understanding plant signals help farmers protect crops without pesticides?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: chemical signal, response, environment, stimulus, adapt, pollinator.
Try it: Research one example of plant chemical communication (e.g., tomato plants warning each other about aphids). Write a paragraph explaining: what triggers the signal, what chemical is sent, and how other plants respond.