Trees in a forest share food through fungal networks

Beneath a forest floor lies a vast fungal network — nicknamed the 'Wood Wide Web' — through which trees exchange carbon, water, and nutrients. Ecologist Suzanne Simard showed that mother trees send carbon to shaded seedlings via these mycorrhizal threads, effectively feeding their offspring. When large trees are felled, nearby seedlings receive a surge of carbon, as if the dying tree is passing its resources to the next generation.

Source: Simard, S. et al., 'Net transfer of carbon between ectomycorrhizal tree species in the field', Nature (1997)