Environmental cues alone cannot explain synchronized mast fruiting across a forest

Evidence

The pecan trees and their kin show a capacity for concerted action, for unity of purpose that transcends the individual trees. They ensure somehow that all stand together and thus survive. How they do so is still elusive. There is some evidence that certain cues from the environment may trigger fruiting, like a particularly wet spring or a long growing season. These favorable physical conditions help all the trees achieve an energy surplus that they can spend on nuts. But, given the individual differences in habitat, it seems unlikely that environment alone could be the key to synchrony. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 75

Categorization

• QUESTION: The ‘how they do so is still elusive’ admission suggests the mechanism is genuinely open — worth tracking how recent mycorrhizal work has advanced.