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

David G Robinson¹, Christian Ammer², Andrea Polle³, Jürgen Bauhus⁴, Roni Aloni⁵, Peter Annighöfer⁶, Tobias I Baskin⁷, Michael R Blatt⁸, Andreas Bolte⁹, Harald Bugmann¹⁰, Jerry D Cohen¹¹, Peter J Davies¹², Andreas Draguhn¹³, Henrik Hartmann¹⁴, Hubert Hasenauer¹⁵, Peter K Hepler⁷, Ulrich Kohnle¹⁶, Friederike Lang¹⁷, Magnus Löf¹⁸, Christian Messier¹⁹, Sergi Munné-Bosch²⁰, Angus Murphy²¹, Klaus J Puettmann²², Iván Quiroz Marchant²³, Peter H Raven²⁴, David Robinson²⁵, Dale Sanders²⁶, Dominik Seidel²⁷, Claus Schwechheimer²⁸, Peter Spathelf²⁹, Martin Steer³⁰, Lincoln Taiz³¹, Sven Wagner³², Nils Henriksson³³, Torgny Näsholm³³

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Organismal Studies, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: david.robinson@urz.uni-heidelberg.de.
² Silvicuture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
³ Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
⁴ Chair of Silviculture, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
⁵ School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
⁶ Forest and Agroforest Systems, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany.
⁷ Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, 611 N. Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
⁸ Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
⁹ Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems, A.-Möller-Str. 1, Haus 41/42, D-16225 Eberswalde, Germany.
¹⁰ Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
¹¹ Department of Horticultural Science and Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA.
¹² School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
¹³ Medical Faculty, Department of Neuro- and Senory Physiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
¹⁴ Julius Kühn Institute Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Forest Protection, Erwin-Baur-Str. 27, 06484 Quedlinburg, Germany.
¹⁵ Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82/II 1190, Wien, Austria.
¹⁶ Department of Forest Growth, Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, Wonnhaldestraße 4, 79100 Freiburg, Germany.
¹⁷ Chair of Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertholdstr. 17, 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
¹⁸ Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sundsvägen 3, P.O. Box 190, SE-234 22 Lomma, Sweden.
¹⁹ University of Quebec in Montréal (UQAM) and in Outaouais (UQO), Quebec, Canada.
²⁰ University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
²¹ Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, 5140 Plant Sciences Building 4291 Fieldhouse Drive College Park, MD 20742, USA.
²² Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
²³ Instituto Forestal, Calle Nueva Uno 3570 LT 4 Michaihue, San Pedro de la Paz, Concepción Chile, Chile.
²⁴ President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden, 1037 Cy Ann Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017-8402, USA.
²⁵ School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK.
²⁶ Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington York, YO10 5DD, UK.
²⁷ Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
²⁸ Plant Systems Biology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Straße 8, 85354 Freising, Germany.
²⁹ Applied Silviculture, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Möller-Strasse 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.
³⁰ School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
³¹ Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
³² Chair of Silviculture, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Str. 8, 01737 Tharandt, Germany.
³³ Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, Sweden.

PMID: 37735061
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010

Review

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

David G Robinson et al. Trends Plant Sci. 2024 Jan.

. 2024 Jan;29(1):20-31.

doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010. Epub 2023 Sep 19.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Organismal Studies, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: david.robinson@urz.uni-heidelberg.de.
² Silvicuture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
³ Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
⁴ Chair of Silviculture, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
⁵ School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
⁶ Forest and Agroforest Systems, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany.
⁷ Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, 611 N. Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
⁸ Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
⁹ Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems, A.-Möller-Str. 1, Haus 41/42, D-16225 Eberswalde, Germany.
¹⁰ Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
¹¹ Department of Horticultural Science and Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA.
¹² School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
¹³ Medical Faculty, Department of Neuro- and Senory Physiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
¹⁴ Julius Kühn Institute Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Forest Protection, Erwin-Baur-Str. 27, 06484 Quedlinburg, Germany.
¹⁵ Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82/II 1190, Wien, Austria.
¹⁶ Department of Forest Growth, Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, Wonnhaldestraße 4, 79100 Freiburg, Germany.
¹⁷ Chair of Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertholdstr. 17, 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
¹⁸ Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sundsvägen 3, P.O. Box 190, SE-234 22 Lomma, Sweden.
¹⁹ University of Quebec in Montréal (UQAM) and in Outaouais (UQO), Quebec, Canada.
²⁰ University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
²¹ Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, 5140 Plant Sciences Building 4291 Fieldhouse Drive College Park, MD 20742, USA.
²² Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
²³ Instituto Forestal, Calle Nueva Uno 3570 LT 4 Michaihue, San Pedro de la Paz, Concepción Chile, Chile.
²⁴ President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden, 1037 Cy Ann Drive, Town and Country, MO 63017-8402, USA.
²⁵ School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK.
²⁶ Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington York, YO10 5DD, UK.
²⁷ Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
²⁸ Plant Systems Biology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Straße 8, 85354 Freising, Germany.
²⁹ Applied Silviculture, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-Möller-Strasse 1, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany.
³⁰ School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
³¹ Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
³² Chair of Silviculture, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Str. 8, 01737 Tharandt, Germany.
³³ Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, Sweden.

PMID: 37735061
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.08.010

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.

Keywords: anthropomorphism; common mycorrhizal networks; forest management; mother tree concept; publication policy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests T. N. declares a conflicting interest as he owns shares in and works part time for the company Arevo AB that develops, produces, and markets organic fertilizers. The other authors have no conflicting interests.

Publication types

Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

Substances

Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- Elsevier Science

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

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

Affiliations

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

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources