Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification

There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent revie...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in plant science 2024-01, Vol.29 (1), p.20-31
Main Authors: Robinson, David G, Ammer, Christian, Polle, Andrea, Bauhus, Jürgen, Aloni, Roni, Annighöfer, Peter, Baskin, Tobias I, Blatt, Michael R, Bolte, Andreas, Bugmann, Harald, Cohen, Jerry D, Davies, Peter J, Draguhn, Andreas, Hartmann, Henrik, Hasenauer, Hubert, Hepler, Peter K, Kohnle, Ulrich, Lang, Friederike, Löf, Magnus, Messier, Christian, Munné-Bosch, Sergi, Murphy, Angus, Puettmann, Klaus J, Marchant, Iván Quiroz, Raven, Peter H, Robinson, David, Sanders, Dale, Seidel, Dominik, Schwechheimer, Claus, Spathelf, Peter, Steer, Martin, Taiz, Lincoln, Wagner, Sven, Henriksson, Nils, Näsholm, Torgny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Forest Science
Skogsvetenskap
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3
cites cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3
container_end_page 31
container_issue 1
container_start_page 20
container_title Trends in plant science
container_volume 29
creator Robinson, David G
Ammer, Christian
Polle, Andrea
Bauhus, Jürgen
Aloni, Roni
Annighöfer, Peter
Baskin, Tobias I
Blatt, Michael R
Bolte, Andreas
Bugmann, Harald
Cohen, Jerry D
Davies, Peter J
Draguhn, Andreas
Hartmann, Henrik
Hasenauer, Hubert
Hepler, Peter K
Kohnle, Ulrich
Lang, Friederike
Löf, Magnus
Messier, Christian
Munné-Bosch, Sergi
Murphy, Angus
Puettmann, Klaus J
Marchant, Iván Quiroz
Raven, Peter H
Robinson, David
Sanders, Dale
Seidel, Dominik
Schwechheimer, Claus
Spathelf, Peter
Steer, Martin
Taiz, Lincoln
Wagner, Sven
Henriksson, Nils
Näsholm, Torgny
description There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent reviews show that evidence for the 'mother tree concept' is inconclusive or absent. The origin of this concept seems to stem from a desire to humanize plant life but can lead to misunderstandings and false interpretations and may eventually harm rather than help the commendable cause of preserving forests. Two recent books serve as examples: The Hidden Life of Trees and Finding the Mother Tree.
doi_str_mv 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>proquest_swepu</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_swepub_primary_oai_slubar_slu_se_128310</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><sourcerecordid>2868120344</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNo9UMtOwzAQtBCIlsIngHLkQMLaTmz3iCooSEVc4Gw5jgOu0jjYjhB_j_ugp31odmZ2ELrGUGDA7H5dxKFTfQwFAUILEAVgOEFTLLjIS8rJaeopgxxTUU3QRQhrAOBYsHM0oZzTChieouWri1_GZ9EbE-4y1UU_2hCtztqx_7Rp0zdZQmSD8bYLmWuznex2Dq63rdUqWtdforNWdcFcHeoMfTw9vi-e89Xb8mXxsMo1nVcxbxpjCKkJaQRpGaYlYcCS43lVJ_tUCeBg5lxhppuSaEVMy3gLFGsMlSYNnaFizxt-zDDWcvB2o_yvdMrK0I218tsig5GYCJooZ-h2fzB49z2aEOXGBm269IRxY5BEMIEJ0LJM0GoP1d6F4E17ZMcgt6HLtTyELrehSxASdhI3B4mx3pjmePWfMv0DYmqAAg</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Open Access Repository</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>2868120344</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification</title><source>ScienceDirect Freedom Collection</source><creator>Robinson, David G ; Ammer, Christian ; Polle, Andrea ; Bauhus, Jürgen ; Aloni, Roni ; Annighöfer, Peter ; Baskin, Tobias I ; Blatt, Michael R ; Bolte, Andreas ; Bugmann, Harald ; Cohen, Jerry D ; Davies, Peter J ; Draguhn, Andreas ; Hartmann, Henrik ; Hasenauer, Hubert ; Hepler, Peter K ; Kohnle, Ulrich ; Lang, Friederike ; Löf, Magnus ; Messier, Christian ; Munné-Bosch, Sergi ; Murphy, Angus ; Puettmann, Klaus J ; Marchant, Iván Quiroz ; Raven, Peter H ; Robinson, David ; Sanders, Dale ; Seidel, Dominik ; Schwechheimer, Claus ; Spathelf, Peter ; Steer, Martin ; Taiz, Lincoln ; Wagner, Sven ; Henriksson, Nils ; Näsholm, Torgny</creator><creatorcontrib>Robinson, David G ; Ammer, Christian ; Polle, Andrea ; Bauhus, Jürgen ; Aloni, Roni ; Annighöfer, Peter ; Baskin, Tobias I ; Blatt, Michael R ; Bolte, Andreas ; Bugmann, Harald ; Cohen, Jerry D ; Davies, Peter J ; Draguhn, Andreas ; Hartmann, Henrik ; Hasenauer, Hubert ; Hepler, Peter K ; Kohnle, Ulrich ; Lang, Friederike ; Löf, Magnus ; Messier, Christian ; Munné-Bosch, Sergi ; Murphy, Angus ; Puettmann, Klaus J ; Marchant, Iván Quiroz ; Raven, Peter H ; Robinson, David ; Sanders, Dale ; Seidel, Dominik ; Schwechheimer, Claus ; Spathelf, Peter ; Steer, Martin ; Taiz, Lincoln ; Wagner, Sven ; Henriksson, Nils ; Näsholm, Torgny ; Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet</creatorcontrib><description>There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent reviews show that evidence for the 'mother tree concept' is inconclusive or absent. The origin of this concept seems to stem from a desire to humanize plant life but can lead to misunderstandings and false interpretations and may eventually harm rather than help the commendable cause of preserving forests. Two recent books serve as examples: The Hidden Life of Trees and Finding the Mother Tree.</description><identifier>ISSN: 1360-1385</identifier><identifier>ISSN: 1878-4372</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1878-4372</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010</identifier><identifier>PMID: 37735061</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>England</publisher><subject>Forest Science ; Skogsvetenskap</subject><ispartof>Trends in plant science, 2024-01, Vol.29 (1), p.20-31</ispartof><rights>Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3</cites><orcidid>0000-0002-0394-490X</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><link.rule.ids>230,314,780,784,885,4024,27923,27924,27925</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37735061$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink><backlink>$$Uhttps://res.slu.se/id/publ/128310$$DView record from Swedish Publication Index$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><creatorcontrib>Robinson, David G</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Ammer, Christian</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Polle, Andrea</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bauhus, Jürgen</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Aloni, Roni</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Annighöfer, Peter</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Baskin, Tobias I</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Blatt, Michael R</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bolte, Andreas</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bugmann, Harald</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Cohen, Jerry D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Davies, Peter J</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Draguhn, Andreas</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hartmann, Henrik</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hasenauer, Hubert</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hepler, Peter K</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kohnle, Ulrich</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Lang, Friederike</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Löf, Magnus</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Messier, Christian</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Munné-Bosch, Sergi</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Murphy, Angus</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Puettmann, Klaus J</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Marchant, Iván Quiroz</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Raven, Peter H</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Robinson, David</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sanders, Dale</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Seidel, Dominik</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Schwechheimer, Claus</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Spathelf, Peter</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Steer, Martin</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Taiz, Lincoln</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Wagner, Sven</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Henriksson, Nils</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Näsholm, Torgny</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet</creatorcontrib><title>Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification</title><title>Trends in plant science</title><addtitle>Trends Plant Sci</addtitle><description>There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent reviews show that evidence for the 'mother tree concept' is inconclusive or absent. The origin of this concept seems to stem from a desire to humanize plant life but can lead to misunderstandings and false interpretations and may eventually harm rather than help the commendable cause of preserving forests. Two recent books serve as examples: The Hidden Life of Trees and Finding the Mother Tree.</description><subject>Forest Science</subject><subject>Skogsvetenskap</subject><issn>1360-1385</issn><issn>1878-4372</issn><issn>1878-4372</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2024</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNo9UMtOwzAQtBCIlsIngHLkQMLaTmz3iCooSEVc4Gw5jgOu0jjYjhB_j_ugp31odmZ2ELrGUGDA7H5dxKFTfQwFAUILEAVgOEFTLLjIS8rJaeopgxxTUU3QRQhrAOBYsHM0oZzTChieouWri1_GZ9EbE-4y1UU_2hCtztqx_7Rp0zdZQmSD8bYLmWuznex2Dq63rdUqWtdforNWdcFcHeoMfTw9vi-e89Xb8mXxsMo1nVcxbxpjCKkJaQRpGaYlYcCS43lVJ_tUCeBg5lxhppuSaEVMy3gLFGsMlSYNnaFizxt-zDDWcvB2o_yvdMrK0I218tsig5GYCJooZ-h2fzB49z2aEOXGBm269IRxY5BEMIEJ0LJM0GoP1d6F4E17ZMcgt6HLtTyELrehSxASdhI3B4mx3pjmePWfMv0DYmqAAg</recordid><startdate>202401</startdate><enddate>202401</enddate><creator>Robinson, David G</creator><creator>Ammer, Christian</creator><creator>Polle, Andrea</creator><creator>Bauhus, Jürgen</creator><creator>Aloni, Roni</creator><creator>Annighöfer, Peter</creator><creator>Baskin, Tobias I</creator><creator>Blatt, Michael R</creator><creator>Bolte, Andreas</creator><creator>Bugmann, Harald</creator><creator>Cohen, Jerry D</creator><creator>Davies, Peter J</creator><creator>Draguhn, Andreas</creator><creator>Hartmann, Henrik</creator><creator>Hasenauer, Hubert</creator><creator>Hepler, Peter K</creator><creator>Kohnle, Ulrich</creator><creator>Lang, Friederike</creator><creator>Löf, Magnus</creator><creator>Messier, Christian</creator><creator>Munné-Bosch, Sergi</creator><creator>Murphy, Angus</creator><creator>Puettmann, Klaus J</creator><creator>Marchant, Iván Quiroz</creator><creator>Raven, Peter H</creator><creator>Robinson, David</creator><creator>Sanders, Dale</creator><creator>Seidel, Dominik</creator><creator>Schwechheimer, Claus</creator><creator>Spathelf, Peter</creator><creator>Steer, Martin</creator><creator>Taiz, Lincoln</creator><creator>Wagner, Sven</creator><creator>Henriksson, Nils</creator><creator>Näsholm, Torgny</creator><scope>NPM</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>7X8</scope><scope>ADTPV</scope><scope>AOWAS</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0394-490X</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>202401</creationdate><title>Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification</title><author>Robinson, David G ; Ammer, Christian ; Polle, Andrea ; Bauhus, Jürgen ; Aloni, Roni ; Annighöfer, Peter ; Baskin, Tobias I ; Blatt, Michael R ; Bolte, Andreas ; Bugmann, Harald ; Cohen, Jerry D ; Davies, Peter J ; Draguhn, Andreas ; Hartmann, Henrik ; Hasenauer, Hubert ; Hepler, Peter K ; Kohnle, Ulrich ; Lang, Friederike ; Löf, Magnus ; Messier, Christian ; Munné-Bosch, Sergi ; Murphy, Angus ; Puettmann, Klaus J ; Marchant, Iván Quiroz ; Raven, Peter H ; Robinson, David ; Sanders, Dale ; Seidel, Dominik ; Schwechheimer, Claus ; Spathelf, Peter ; Steer, Martin ; Taiz, Lincoln ; Wagner, Sven ; Henriksson, Nils ; Näsholm, Torgny</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2024</creationdate><topic>Forest Science</topic><topic>Skogsvetenskap</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Robinson, David G</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Ammer, Christian</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Polle, Andrea</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bauhus, Jürgen</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Aloni, Roni</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Annighöfer, Peter</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Baskin, Tobias I</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Blatt, Michael R</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bolte, Andreas</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Bugmann, Harald</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Cohen, Jerry D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Davies, Peter J</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Draguhn, Andreas</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hartmann, Henrik</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hasenauer, Hubert</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Hepler, Peter K</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kohnle, Ulrich</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Lang, Friederike</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Löf, Magnus</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Messier, Christian</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Munné-Bosch, Sergi</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Murphy, Angus</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Puettmann, Klaus J</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Marchant, Iván Quiroz</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Raven, Peter H</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Robinson, David</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sanders, Dale</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Seidel, Dominik</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Schwechheimer, Claus</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Spathelf, Peter</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Steer, Martin</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Taiz, Lincoln</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Wagner, Sven</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Henriksson, Nils</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Näsholm, Torgny</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet</creatorcontrib><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>MEDLINE - Academic</collection><collection>SwePub</collection><collection>SwePub Articles</collection><jtitle>Trends in plant science</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Robinson, David G</au><au>Ammer, Christian</au><au>Polle, Andrea</au><au>Bauhus, Jürgen</au><au>Aloni, Roni</au><au>Annighöfer, Peter</au><au>Baskin, Tobias I</au><au>Blatt, Michael R</au><au>Bolte, Andreas</au><au>Bugmann, Harald</au><au>Cohen, Jerry D</au><au>Davies, Peter J</au><au>Draguhn, Andreas</au><au>Hartmann, Henrik</au><au>Hasenauer, Hubert</au><au>Hepler, Peter K</au><au>Kohnle, Ulrich</au><au>Lang, Friederike</au><au>Löf, Magnus</au><au>Messier, Christian</au><au>Munné-Bosch, Sergi</au><au>Murphy, Angus</au><au>Puettmann, Klaus J</au><au>Marchant, Iván Quiroz</au><au>Raven, Peter H</au><au>Robinson, David</au><au>Sanders, Dale</au><au>Seidel, Dominik</au><au>Schwechheimer, Claus</au><au>Spathelf, Peter</au><au>Steer, Martin</au><au>Taiz, Lincoln</au><au>Wagner, Sven</au><au>Henriksson, Nils</au><au>Näsholm, Torgny</au><aucorp>Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet</aucorp><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification</atitle><jtitle>Trends in plant science</jtitle><addtitle>Trends Plant Sci</addtitle><date>2024-01</date><risdate>2024</risdate><volume>29</volume><issue>1</issue><spage>20</spage><epage>31</epage><pages>20-31</pages><issn>1360-1385</issn><issn>1878-4372</issn><eissn>1878-4372</eissn><abstract>There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent reviews show that evidence for the 'mother tree concept' is inconclusive or absent. The origin of this concept seems to stem from a desire to humanize plant life but can lead to misunderstandings and false interpretations and may eventually harm rather than help the commendable cause of preserving forests. Two recent books serve as examples: The Hidden Life of Trees and Finding the Mother Tree.</abstract><cop>England</cop><pmid>37735061</pmid><doi>10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010</doi><tpages>12</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0394-490X</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 1360-1385
ispartof Trends in plant science, 2024-01, Vol.29 (1), p.20-31
issn 1360-1385
1878-4372
1878-4372
language eng
recordid cdi_swepub_primary_oai_slubar_slu_se_128310
source ScienceDirect Freedom Collection
subjects Forest Science
Skogsvetenskap
title Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2024-12-20T11%3A07%3A06IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-proquest_swepu&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Mother%20trees,%20altruistic%20fungi,%20and%20the%20perils%20of%20plant%20personification&rft.jtitle=Trends%20in%20plant%20science&rft.au=Robinson,%20David%20G&rft.aucorp=Sveriges%20lantbruksuniversitet&rft.date=2024-01&rft.volume=29&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=20&rft.epage=31&rft.pages=20-31&rft.issn=1360-1385&rft.eissn=1878-4372&rft_id=info:doi/10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010&rft_dat=%3Cproquest_swepu%3E2868120344%3C/proquest_swepu%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c395t-ddee22b22d82f6134260687895b0103a8070e97a16cd42ca2ef67f031c105c2d3%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=2868120344&rft_id=info:pmid/37735061&rfr_iscdi=true