Plants feel the noise too

by Halimat Olunlade, Social Media Manager

Photo credit: Irina Iriser

It turns out that humans and plants aren't so different after all. A new study reveals that plants, like us, can perceive and emit sound. The findings should make us reconsider how we value quiet as a fundamental natural resource.

New research in The Science of Nature confirms a theory that the scientific community has debated for years: plants can hear. Plants actively respond to the acoustic environment around them, and excessive noise can seriously harm their health and development. Using new techniques in bioacoustic monitoring, researchers discovered that plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to process sound waves and respond accordingly.

Certain frequencies can trigger beneficial growth responses, while others, particularly the harsh, consistent noise from urbanization and industrialization, induce harmful stress responses in plant tissues. The result of this is reduced plant growth, flowering and overall compromised plant health, botanical versions of the stress-related diseases we see in humans living in noisy environments. 

The parallels to human health are striking. Just as we now know that aircraft noise increases heart disease risk and traffic noise disrupts children's learning, the research shows that excessive environmental noise creates a cascade of negative physiological changes in plants. The implications stretch far beyond individual specimens to entire ecosystems.

Consider the broader ecological picture: noise pollution reduces plant resilience, flowering rates and overall health, sending cascading impacts through food webs. Stressed plants produce less nectar, affecting pollinator health. Weakened plants become more susceptible to diseases that can spread through entire ecosystems. Reduced flowering means less seed production, affecting wildlife food sources and habitat quality.

The exciting news is that the findings also point toward practical solutions. Just as plants respond negatively to harmful noise, they have positive responses to beneficial acoustic environments. Some species thrive when exposed to certain natural sound frequencies, suggesting that thoughtful acoustic design could benefit both human and plant communities.

This research strengthens the case for policies that many communities are already implementing: electric landscaping equipment, noise barriers around highways and urban planning that prioritizes natural soundscapes. As we face interconnected environmental crises, this research reminds us that enduring solutions involve recognizing the deep connections between human and ecological health. The quiet spaces that restore our mental well-being also provide the acoustic conditions that allow plant communities to thrive.