Nature Fact: Trees

Adult trees pass nutrients to seedlings, creating an increased succession rate. Seedlings often do not receive enough light to photosynthesize appropriately to create their own sugar, so they rely on their neighboring trees for nutrients. These nutrients are passed from tree to tree through an underground mycorrhizal network made up of an interconnected web of plant root tips and mycelium (fungal network). It has been observed that parent trees will prioritize their offspring over other seedlings when sharing excess nutrients.

The sharing of nutrients is not only between trees of the same species. Trees of different species develop symbiotic relationships with each other, sharing nutrients between each other when one species thrives over another. For example, conifers will share nutrients with birches when they drop their leaves and cannot photosynthesize in the late fall through early spring. The favor is then returned in the warmer months when birch trees regrow their leaves and shade out the conifers from the sun. 

To read more on trees, how they communicate, and how the share resources through the mycelial network, be sure to visit this article.