Research findings confirm that animals respond to sounds produced by plants for the first time.
According to BBC News on the 15th (local time), a research team at Tel Aviv University in Israel confirmed that when tomato plants make sounds due to water stress, female moths do not lay eggs on these tomatoes.
The team published research results that two years ago, plants emitted specific sounds when they were in pain or unhealthy.
The sounds produced by plants are inaudible to humans but can be heard by insects, bats, and some mammals.
Professor Yossi Yovel of Tel Aviv University said, "This is the first case proving that animals respond to the sounds made by plants."
He continued, "At this stage, it is mere speculation, but it is possible that various types of animals make decisions based on the sounds heard from plants, whether to transfer pollen, seek shelter in the plants, or eat the plants."
Professor Yovel stated, "It is conceivable that there could be various complex interactions, and this is the first step."
Professor Lilach Hadany of Tel Aviv University told BBC News, "Another area of research is whether plants communicate information to each other and respond in ways like conserving water during droughts."
He explained, "This is a very interesting question, and if plants are under stress, the organisms most concerned about it would be other plants, which could respond in various ways."
However, the research team emphasized, according to BBC News, that plants do not possess consciousness.
It is said that plants are not intentionally making sounds, but rather that changes in their conditions result in physical effects that produce sounds.
This research demonstrates that sound information from animals and plants can be beneficial to each other.
Professor Hadany said, "Plants and animals have co-evolved by developing the ability to produce and perceive these sounds."
The paper containing these research results was published in the open-access journal "eLife" in December last year.