The secret language of trees - Camille Defrenne and Suzanne Simard

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

Most of the forest lives in the shadow of the giants

Veći deo šume živi u senci džinova

that make up the highest canopy.

koji čine najviše krošnje.

These are the oldest trees,

To je najstarije drveće

with hundreds of children and thousands of grandchildren.

koje ima na stotine dece i na hiljade unučadi.

They check in with their neighbors, sharing food, supplies,

Posećuju svoje komšije, deleći hranu, zalihe

and wisdom gained over their long lives.

i mudrost stečenu tokom svojih dugih života.

They do all this rooted in place, unable to speak, reach out, or move around.

Sve ovo postižu ukorenjeni u mestu,

nesposobni da govore, protegnu se ili da se kreću.

The secret to their success lies under the forest floor,

Tajna njihovog uspeha počiva ispod šumskog tla,

where vast root systems support the towering trunks above.

gde ogromni sistemi korenja podržavaju visoka stabla nad zemljom.

Partnering with these roots are symbiotic fungi called mycorrhizae.

U partnerstvu sa korenjem su simbiotske gljive nazvane mikorize.

These fungi have countless branching, thread-like hyphae

Ove gljive imaju bezbroj razgranatih hifa u vidu niti

that together make up the mycelium.

koje zajedno sačinjavaju miceliju.

The mycelium spreads across a much larger area than the tree root system

Micelije se prostiru duž znatno većeg prostora od ovih sistema korenja

and connect the roots of different trees together.

i povezuju korenje različitog drveća.

These connections form mycorrhizal networks.

Ove veze obrazuju mikorizalne mreže.

Through mycorrhizal networks,

Putem mikorizalnih mreža,

fungi can pass resources and signaling molecules between trees.

gljive mogu da prenose resurse i signalne molekule između drveća.

We know the oldest trees have the largest mycorrhizal networks

Znamo da najstarije drveće ima najveće mikorizalne mreže

with the most connections to other trees,

sa najviše veza sa drugim drvećem,

but these connections are incredibly complicated to trace.

ali ove veze je izuzetno teško pratiti.

That’s because there are about a hundred species of mycorrhizal fungi–

Razlog tome je što postoji oko stotinu vrsta mikorizalnih gljiva -

and an individual tree might be colonized by dozens of different fungal organisms,

a pojedinačno drvo može da bude u koloniji sa desetinama različitih vrsta gljiva,

each of which connects to a unique set of other trees,

od kojih svaka stvara veze sa određenim skupom drugog drveća,

which in turn each have their own unique set of fungal associations.

a koji opet imaju sopstvene jedinstvene skupove društava gljiva.

To get a sense of how substances flow through this network,

Kako bismo imali uvid u to kako materija kruži ovom mrežom,

let’s zoom in on sugars,

posmatrajmo izbliže šećer

as they travel from a mature tree to a neighboring seedling.

dok putuje od zrelog drveta do komšijske mladice.

Sugar’s journey starts high above the ground,

Putovanje šećera započinje visoko nad tlom,

in the leaves of the tallest trees above the canopy.

u lišću najvišeg drveća iznad šumske kupole.

The leaves use the ample sunlight up there to create sugars through photosynthesis.

Lišće koristi obilje sunca kako bi proizvelo šećer putem fotosinteze.

This essential fuel then travels through the tree

Ovo esencijalno gorivo potom putuje kroz drvo

to the base of the trunk in the thick sap.

do podnožja stabla u vidu gustog biljnog soka.

From there, sugar flows down to the roots.

Odatle, šećer se spušta do korenja.

Mycorrhizal fungi encounter the tips of the roots

Mikorizalne gljive pronalaze vrhove korenja

and either surround or penetrate the outer root cells,

i opkoljavaju ga ili prodiru kroz spoljne ćelije korenja,

depending on the type of fungi.

u zavisnosti od vrste gljive.

Fungi cannot produce sugars, though they need them for fuel just like trees do.

Gljive ne mogu da proizvode šećer, iako im je potreban baš kao i drveću.

They can, however,

Mogu, pak,

collect nutrients from the soil much more efficiently than tree roots—

da sakupljaju hranljive materije iz tla mnogo efikasnije od korenja drveća -

and pass these nutrients into the tree roots.

i prebacuju te hranljive materije u korenje drveća.

In general,

Uglavnom,

substances flow from where they are more abundant to where they are less abundant,

supstance teku s mesta gde ih ima više do mesta gde su oskudnije,

or from source to sink.

ili od izvora do ušća.

That means that the sugars flow from the tree roots into the fungal hyphae.

To znači da šećeri putuju od korenja drveća do hifa gljiva.

Once the sugars enter the fungus,

Kada šećer dospe u gljive,

they travel along the hyphae through pores between cells

putuje duž hifa kroz pore između ćelija

or through special hollow transporter hyphae.

ili kroz naročite šuplje transporterske hife.

The fungus absorbs some of the sugars,

Gljive apsorbuju deo šećera,

but some travels on and enters the roots of a neighboring tree,

ali ostatak putuje dalje i dolazi do korenja susednog drveta,

a seedling that grows in the shade and has less opportunity

do mladice koja raste u senci i ima manje šanse

to photosynthesize sugars.

da stvara šećer fotosintezom.

But why does fungus transport resources from tree to tree?

Međutim, zašto gljive prebacuju materije od drveta do drveta?

This is one of the mysteries of the mycorrhizal networks.

Radi se o jednoj od misterija mikorizalnih mreža.

It makes sense for fungus to exchange soil nutrients and sugar with a tree—

Za gljivu ima smisla da razmenjuje hranu i šećer iz tla sa drvetom -

both parties benefit.

obe strane imaju korist.

The fungus likely benefits in less obvious ways from being part of a network

Gljive najverovatnije imaju manje očitu korist od toga što su deo mreže

between trees, but the exact ways aren’t totally clear.

između drveća, ali tačno kako nije baš najjasnije.

Maybe the fungus benefits from having connections

Možda gljive imaju koristi od veza

with as many different trees as possible,

sa raznim različitim drvećem koje postoji

and maximizes its connections by shuttling molecules between trees.

i pojačavaju svoje veze tako što prebacuju molekule između drveća.

Or maybe plants reduce their contributions to fungi

Ili, pak, biljke umanjuju svoj doprinos gljivama

if the fungi don’t facilitate exchanges between trees.

ako gljive ne olakšaju razmene među drvećem.

Whatever the reasons,

Šta god da je razlog,

these fungi pass an incredible amount of information between trees.

ove gljive prenose neverovatne količine informacija među drvećem.

Through the mycorrhizae, trees can tell when nutrients or signaling molecules

Kroz mikorize, drveće zna da li hrana ili molekuli signalizatori

are coming from a member of their own species or not.

stižu od člana njihove sopstvene vrste ili ne.

They can even tell when information is coming from a close relative

Mogu čak da znaju kada informacija stiže od bliskog rođaka,

like a sibling or parent.

brata ili roditelja.

Trees can also share information about events like drought

Kroz svoje mreže gljiva, drveće može i da deli informacije

or insect attacks through their fungal networks,

o događajima poput suše ili o napadima insekata,

causing their neighbors to increase production of protective enzymes

navodeći tako svoje komšije da pojačaju proizvodnju zaštitnih enzima

in anticipation of threats.

u iščekivanju pretnji.

The forest’s health relies on these intricate communications and exchanges.

Zdravlje šume počiva na ovim zapetljanim komunikacijama i razmenama.

With everything so deeply interconnected,

Kada je sve tako duboko isprepletano,

what impacts one species is bound to impact others.

ono što utiče na jednu vrstu mora da utiče i na druge.