New project funded by VolkswagenStif­tung!

We are delighted that the popular Volkswagen Foundation has approved a project in the category "extraordinary":

Kropotkin's Garden: networking beats competition in the struggle for limited resources

Natural root grafting could play a pivotal role in resource sharing among tree networks since it can be interpreted as collaborative behaviour as known for superorganisms. It will be necessary to survey systematically under which conditions resource sharing via grafting will be beneficial for trees instead of exploiting a limited resource alone.

The project seeks to answer the following research questions going beyond the chosen study system: Is root grafting an adaptive strategy for coping to harsh conditions or just a lusus naturae, unavoidable for neighbouring plants expanding in the same rhizosphere? Is the redistribution of water among grafted trees mutually beneficial or just a parasitic behaviour? What does beneficial mean at individual level (growth rate, fitness, and survival), group level and stand level (considering that grafted and non-grafted trees together form a stand)? Do trees control their grafting so that an optimal number of connections and a favourable topology of the GRIN can be identified for a given situation of water availability?

For more information on the project goals, the collaborators and more updates, visit our website https://mangroverootnetworks.info/ and the project details on the website of the VolkswagenStiftung

Please also see the press release of the VolkswagenStiftung (in German)