The Secret Communication Network of Trees and Fungi
The mother tree hypothesis, which suggests that large trees share carbon and nutrients with saplings through underground fungal networks, has limited empirical evidence and theoretical explanations for its mechanisms. The fungal network is more likely a trading ground for individual trees and fungi, each trying to survive, rather than a pipeline for resource sharing among trees. The forest is a complex ecosystem with trees, fungi, and other organisms, which are all interdependent but not guided by a common purpose.