Nature has its own "internet" that humans are just starting to understand

In nature, animals, plants, and microbes constantly communicate. They leave signals, detect scents, react to temperature shifts, and interpret the behavior of others. These exchanges, though often invisible, steer their actions.

A new study now reveals just how central these invisible threads are. Led by Dr. Ulrich Brose of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the research expands what we know about species interactions.

The experts propose that ecosystems operate through a vast information-sharing system – what the researchers call the “Internet of Nature.”

This system goes beyond the visible: it tracks how information, not just matter and energy, flows between species. That information affects behavior, community dynamics, and ecological balance.

The idea could revolutionize ecological theory. The Internet of Nature treats species as signal users and processors, not just eaters, pollinators, or dispersers. In doing so, it opens a fresh view of what nature truly is.

Nature runs on network signals

For decades, ecologists have mapped food webs and tracked energy transfer. They watched who eats whom, who carries seeds, who pollinates flowers.

These patterns created models that explained species roles and energy balance. But something important was missing.

The new paper shows that focusing only on physical links omits a vital layer. Information links – including warnings, cues, and signals – affect when and where species move. They influence what animals do and how communities stay stable or collapse.

“An understanding of processes in natural ecosystems without considering the flow of information through the Internet of Nature would be similar to trying to understand where and why goods are shipped in human societies without taking the Internet into account,” explained first author Uli Brose.

This view adds complexity but also realism. Ecosystems are not only chains of consumption. They are networks of watchers, listeners, and responders, all adapting based on shared information.

Three types of information signals

The researchers identified three types of information signals in nature. These exist alongside material flows like food, water, or seeds. Each one shows how deeply species rely on signals to interpret their surroundings.

Trophic information links appear in predator-prey interactions. For example, wolves may use tracks or visual signs to find elk.

The elk, sensing danger, huddle together or hide in dense areas. Neither behavior involves direct contact, but both come from interpreting cues.

Pure information links occur between species that do not interact directly. Consider a hyena spotting a vulture circling overhead.

The hyena knows that the bird might have found food. It watches closely and may follow. These silent clues create webs of understanding that guide animals toward opportunities or away from risks.

Environmental information links arise from signals in the environment itself. Temperature, light, or sound can trigger changes.

Moths fly toward artificial lights. Spiders set webs near lamps. Chameleons adjust their skin to match background hues.

These are all examples of organisms responding to the world around them – not to other creatures, but to the medium they live in.

When communication breaks down

The idea of combining food webs with signal networks in nature shifts how scientists view ecosystem resilience. When a disturbance – like a wildfire or invasive species – enters a system, information pathways determine how far it spreads.

They also influence how well species respond and recover. Species that share reliable information can avoid danger faster, find resources more easily, or adapt behaviorally.

When that communication breaks down, confusion spreads. A food web may still exist on paper, but in practice, it falters.

This is why understanding these invisible threads matters. If scientists can map both the material and informational flows in ecosystems, they can better predict how systems change over time.

Human activities block nature’s signals

One major threat to the Internet of Nature comes from us. Human activities don’t just change habitats – they scramble the channels species use to communicate. Artificial light, industrial sound, and chemical pollution all interfere with signal transmission.

“Road traffic and industrial structures not only pollute the air but also interfere with the vibrational signals that ants, for example, use to coordinate their activities,” noted co-author Dr. Myriam Hirt of iDiv and the University of Jena.

“That is just one example of how human activities can disrupt the vibrational and pheromonal communication essential for insect reproduction, foraging, and social cohesion.”

These disruptions matter because many species rely on subtle vibrations, smells, or light cues to function. Ants, moths, birds, frogs, even microbes interpret environmental signals.

When those signals become scrambled or blocked, reproduction fails, feeding patterns change, and ecological roles shift.

Species’ habitats and information pathways

Conservation efforts often focus on preserving habitats or stopping hunting. While important, this approach does not account for the signal flows that species depend on.

If a frog’s pond remains but its mating call is masked by engine noise, the pond becomes useless. The researchers suggest a deeper focus on sensory ecology.

That includes identifying which species send signals, which receive them, how long signals persist, and how far they travel. New tools like audioscapes and vibration maps could help document these patterns.

“Accounting for the internet of nature will shift our perception of how animals, plants, and microbes act in the living world from a concept of passive particle movement as in physics or chemistry to a more realistic emphasis on living beings that produce and use information,” said Brose.

“The consequences of this shift go beyond the ecological theory playground and will have a substantial impact on how we protect not only the species’ habitats but also their information pathways through the medium.”

Internet of Nature can protect biodiversity

The idea of the Internet of Nature reframes ecosystems. It tells us they are not just groups of species living together, but networks of messengers and interpreters.

They share not just resources, but strategies and warnings. If we want to protect nature, we must protect its signals.

That means reducing noise, dimming lights, and restoring natural rhythms. Because in the end, ecosystems thrive not just on what is eaten, but on what is seen, heard, smelled, and felt.

The study is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

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