How a thirsty plant clicks like popcorn

A thirsty plant clicks like popcorn. Scientists at Tel Aviv University placed tomato and tobacco plants in soundproof rooms. Healthy plants made fewer than one click per hour. But plants without water for five days made dozens of clicks each hour. The clicks were in a range too high for humans to hear. Each plant species had its own click pattern. Even the kind of stress changed the sound. Machines could tell which plant was thirsty just from the clicks. Bats and mice might hear these plant sounds. Female moths avoided dry plants and chose healthy ones instead. This changes how we think about plants and their world.

License: TypeCram Original