How plants keep tabs on the competition
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Science & technology | Leavesdropping<br>How plants keep tabs on the competition<br>They grow faster when their rivals are doing the same<br>Share
The stalks have earsPhotograph: Getty Images
Jun 18th 2026|3 min read
Given their slow growth and sessile lives, the idea of plants battling one another may seem fanciful. Yet they do. They fight for access to water, nutrients and pollinators. Since one plant’s leaves are another’s shade, growing towards the sun can be a duel to the death. As in any conflict, espionage helps. A paper published in the Journal of Experimental Botany reveals how plants engage in it.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Leavesdropping”
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