Trees anticipate and synchronize their behaviors to solar eclipses

Regular cycles of light and darkness shape all living beings. Yet when unusual events like a solar eclipse occur, the natural world reacts in remarkable ways. Animals are known to shift their behavior during eclipses, but plants have received far less attention. New research reveals that trees are not passive during these celestial events. Instead, they anticipate them—and they do so together.

An international team of scientists has discovered that spruce trees synchronize their bioelectrical signals hours before a solar eclipse. Their findings, published in Royal Society Open Science, reveal that forests act as unified living systems that coordinate responses to environmental changes.

In the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, researchers placed rugged, low-power sensors on spruce trees. These devices measured bioelectrical signals across the forest before, during, and after an eclipse. What emerged was a striking pattern: the trees synchronized their electrical rhythms long before the shadow crossed the land.

Older trees displayed stronger anticipatory behavior, with signals showing early time-asymmetry and rising entropy. Younger trees followed, as if guided by their elders. The result was a forest-wide pulse of synchrony, like an orchestra preparing for a grand performance. “This study illustrates the anticipatory and synchronized responses we observed are key to understanding how forests communicate and adapt, revealing a new layer of complexity in plant behaviour,” explained Professor Monica Gagliano of Southern Cross University. She added, “Basically, we are watching the famous ‘wood wide web’ in action!”

Professor Alessandro Chiolerio of the Italian Institute of Technology and University of the West of England, who co-led the study, emphasized the depth of the discovery. “By applying advanced analytical methods—including complexity measures and quantum field theory—we have uncovered a deeper, previously unrecognised dynamic synchronisation not based on matter exchanges among trees. We now see the forest not as a mere collection of individuals, but as an orchestra of phase correlated plants.”

This orchestral metaphor underscores the finding: forests are not loose gatherings of solitary organisms. Instead, they operate as coordinated systems, where the actions of one part influence the whole. The evidence suggests that trees may share signals that extend beyond physical connections such as roots or fungi. Instead, they could rely on bioelectrical patterns shaped by both physiology and collective history.

One of the study’s most important discoveries is the role of tree age in shaping responses. Older trees not only reacted first but also showed more organized electrical activity. Researchers suggest that these ancient giants serve as “memory banks,” retaining decades of environmental experience that influence collective behavior.

Professor Gagliano stressed the ecological value of this insight. “The fact that older trees respond first — potentially guiding the collective response of the forest — speaks volumes about their role as memory banks of past environmental events. This discovery underscores the critical importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience by preserving and transmitting invaluable ecological knowledge.” This message aligns with growing calls in ecology to preserve mature forests, which hold both biodiversity and the history of climate patterns. By maintaining them, ecosystems can better withstand future disruptions.

The findings challenge long-standing ideas about intelligence and communication in nature. For years, complex, coordinated behavior was thought to belong mainly to animals. Plants were considered reactive but not anticipatory. This research suggests otherwise. When trees synchronize their signals before an eclipse, they demonstrate forward-looking behavior. That kind of anticipation, once associated mainly with animals, now appears to exist in plant systems. The discovery extends the idea of intelligence to forests themselves, not just individual organisms.

While the study focused on spruce trees, its implications reach far beyond a single species or location. Synchrony appears to be a widespread biological strategy. Birds flock, fish school, and humans coordinate in groups. Now, evidence shows that trees also align their behavior, not in movement but in subtle electrical rhythms.

These insights add depth to the idea of the “wood wide web,” the network of communication and cooperation among plants. They suggest forests operate through both physical pathways like roots and mycorrhizal fungi, and through bioelectrical fields that transcend direct contact.

The research team included experts from Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia, uniting physics, biology, and ecology. Their use of complexity science and quantum field theory marks a step toward understanding ecosystems as deeply interconnected systems rather than separate organisms.

As global forests face pressures from deforestation and climate change, the study highlights the value of protecting not only biodiversity but also ecological memory. Old-growth forests carry centuries of experience encoded in their living systems. Losing them may erase not only species but also collective knowledge that helps ecosystems adapt.

The recognition of anticipatory synchrony in plants could inspire new approaches to conservation. It also broadens scientific thinking about life itself, pointing to a world where intelligence is shared across networks rather than isolated in individuals.

Solar eclipses may be fleeting, but they reveal enduring truths about forests: they are aware, connected, and capable of complex coordination. Protecting them means safeguarding not just trees, but a living system with its own kind of wisdom.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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