On 17 July, participants explored the fascinating hidden connections that link plants with fungi, animals, and other living organisms at the event “Invisible Threads – Entangled Interactions in the Wonderful World of Plants.”
Nature is a vast web of life in which all living beings are connected, sometimes through relationships that are easy to see and sometimes through invisible interactions that are much harder to recognise. At the centre of many of these networks are plants.
Plants are unique in their ability to produce food through photosynthesis, providing energy not only for themselves but ultimately supporting the entire living world, including humans. Yet plants do not live in isolation. They depend on and interact with countless other organisms.
During the event, Dr. Lazar Novaković, the Natural History Museum in Belgrade, introduced participants to two fascinating examples of these hidden relationships.
🌿 Plants and fungi – mycorrhiza
Participants discovered how plants and fungi form mutually beneficial partnerships through mycorrhiza. These underground networks can help plants access water and nutrients while supporting more efficient growth and photosynthesis.
🌱 Parasitic plants
The workshop also explored how parasitic plants survive without being able to produce all the food or obtain all the water they need independently, and how they connect to other plants to obtain essential resources.
Following the introductory presentation, participants put their new knowledge into practice through a creative hands-on activity. Using modelling clay, they created their own “biological networks”, visualising the hidden connections between plants and other organisms.
The event offered a creative and engaging way to discover that even when we cannot see them, nature’s connections are everywhere.
