Then (1998), The Cosmic Serpent
Mycorrhizal Networks: What Has and Has Not Been Shown
Narby's methodological argument, that Western science underestimated plant intelligence by assuming passivity rather than investigating it, was his most important contribution. He had no empirical proof of forest-scale communication; he was calling for investigation.
contested
Simard et al. (Nature, 1997) reported net carbon transfer between tree species through shared mycorrhizal fungi, and Simard's book Finding the Mother Tree (2021) popularized the idea that 'mother trees' recognize and support their offspring. A 2023 review by Karst et al. (Nature Ecology & Evolution) found that field evidence for resource sharing and kin support through such networks is weaker than often claimed, with positive citation bias in the literature. Gagliano's Mimosa study (Oecologia, 2014) reported habituation-like learning in plants; her 2016 associative learning study in pea seedlings (Scientific Reports) was not reproduced in a 2020 replication attempt (Markel, eLife). Plant signaling is an active research field. Narby's specific biophoton hypothesis is untested. His methodological call, to investigate plant behavior rather than assume passivity, has been taken up, but the stronger claims of forest 'intelligence' are contested.
Sources
- Simard et al., Nature (1997)
- Gagliano et al., Oecologia (2014)
- Plant Signaling & Behavior journal, 2006-2026 [Source not found; under review]
- Karst et al., Nature Ecology & Evolution (2023)
- Gagliano et al., Scientific Reports (2016)
- Markel, eLife (2020)