The artificial components do a subset of these things:

Send & receive IoT messages, typically using undocumented BluetoothLowEnergy codes.

Store energy like batteries

Propagate energy in a direction that is caused by a combination of IoT signaling, chemical sensing, and other functionality programmed at the nanotech level in the synthetic material formation layout. Elements that look like sand & rocks participate in nanotech signaling too.

Harvest energy from the environment, especially EMF propagated by close network peers – e.g. long root runs are made by a series of closely overlapping 1-4 foot connections that look something like roots.

They are sensitive to human hair and moisture.