What is the 'Wood Wide Web' and how do trees communicate through fungi?

The answer

The 'Wood Wide Web' refers to mycorrhizal networks - vast underground fungal systems connecting up to 90% of land plants. Pioneered by ecologist Suzanne Simard at the University of British Columbia in the 1990s, research showed that trees exchange carbon, water, and nutrients through fungal hyphae thinner than human hair. Mother trees send carbon to shaded seedlings, boosting survival rates by up to 400%. A single fungal network can span entire forests, with one discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains covering 2,385 acres. These networks also transmit chemical warning signals about insect attacks, allowing neighboring trees to preemptively boost their defenses.