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Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.

It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects. The plant gives out chemical from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warming, or a call for help: “I’m being attacked! When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attack the wasps（黄蜂；蜜蜂）! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow more crops.

More surprisingly, pants also use sound to communicate. People can’t hear these sounds; but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Corn and chili plants do this. Some trees make clicking noses when there is not enough water.

Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web”. The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi（霉菌）. It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. However, it may lead to bad effects. Plants may use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a “firewall” to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.

Scientists are learning more everyday about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to “talk” with them ourselves.