Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation? UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin thought that trees arc competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, _ : trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition "depending on who needs it". Nitrogen  and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi  networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all. Simard talks about "mother trees", usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down "mother trees" with no awareness of these highly complex "tree societies" or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest. "We didn't take any notice of _ ." Simard says sadly. "Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance." If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future. Mother trees are extremely important because they  _  .
look the largest in size in the forest pass on nutrition to young trees seem more likely to be cut down by humans know more about the complex "tree societies"