Lodgepole pines attacked by mountain pine beetles release volatile chemical compounds to warn related trees of the incoming threat, according to a new University of Alberta study.
The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, is the first to establish above-ground tree-to-tree communication in pines by using chemical messages.
The messages from the attacked tree can only be decoded by its closest relatives, not by strangers, said Altaf Hussain, a PhD candidate who led the study.
“This communication between the neighbouring related pines allows the healthy trees to prepare for the attack by boosting up their chemical defences,” he added.
Continue reading at University of Alberta.
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