【明報專訊】A recent scientific study found that plants "talk" to each other through their roots. When the seedlings are disturbed, they fire chemical signals through their roots as they "think" they are growing near other plants. This stimulates(刺激) the plants to prioritise growing bigger leaves to collect enough sunlight to survive when they know they are among competitors.

The scientists simulated the touch of a nearby plant by brushing the corn seedlings' leaves for a minute each day, and then collected the chemicals secreted by the roots in the seedling's growth solution (生長溶液). Then they grew new seedlings in this solution, and found that the plants grow more leaves and fewer roots. It suggested that even brief disturbances above ground can lead to changes in underground communication that cause nearby plants to change growth.

Velemir Ninkovic, an ecologist and lead author of the study, said "the plants use signals to avoid competing situations and to prepare for future competition." The study was published in the journal Plos One.

(Sources: Ming Pao, Daily Mail, Phys.org)

■English highway﹕underground

If something is underground, it is located below the surface of the earth.

e.g. Do you know there's a secret underground passage near this building?

■Game １

Dr Panda has to choose between different vegetable seeds - carrot, tomato, papaya and cucumber - for the farming day with the Smarties. He finds four packs of seeds with different labels, but none of the labels is correct. It must be Eason's trick again! Please help Dr Panda identify the correct labels.

■Game ２

Plants make their own food through a process called photosynthesis (光合作用). Can you fill in the blanks with the information provided in the following equation?

(Answers on next text)

■Glossary

prioritise (v) 優先考慮

simulate (v) 模擬brief (adj) 短暫的

disturbance (n) 打擾

[Smarties' Power English 第219期]