Why do scientists call trees “living dead”? <\/p>\n
The age of trees cannot always be determined by the rings on a cross-section, and the plants themselves consist of a significant percentage of dead tissues. Even the largest giants of the planet have physical limitations that stop their growth and lead to their demise.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This was discussed in an interview with RBC-Ukraine by candidate of biological sciences Aleksey Kovalenko.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Also read: <\/strong>Not orchids: a scientist revealed which flower is actually the oldest in the world <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Main points:<\/strong><\/p>\n Do rings always indicate age?<\/p>\n According to the scientist, the method of counting age by concentric rings on a cross-section does not work everywhere. This is related to growth zones that change throughout the season.<\/p>\n “The age of trees can be calculated by rings, but only if they grow in a temperate climate zone. In the tropics, the age of most plants cannot be calculated by rings because they do not correspond to years. For instance, baobabs, which live around a thousand years, do not have annual rings – they simply do not form,” explains Kovalenko.<\/p>\n Why is a tree called a “living dead”?<\/p>\n The biologist notes that a significant part of the tree’s structure is not actually alive in a biological sense. This pertains to the tissues responsible for the plant’s nourishment.<\/p>\n “A tree is a living dead because even when we diagnose it as alive, it consists of a significant percentage of dead tissues. For example, xylem – the tubes that transport water and dissolved organic substances – are actually made up of dead cells,” says the expert.<\/p>\n Causes of death and age records<\/p>\n Trees “die” due to a complex of factors: from pests to cellular wear. However, there are also purely physical barriers to the life of forest giants.<\/p>\n “Trees find it difficult to transport water to the top when they grow taller than 100 meters. Additionally, tree cells also age and begin to function worse over time,” notes Kovalenko.<\/p>\n Different species of trees have different lifespans. According to the biologist, sequoias and metasequoias can live up to 6,000 years.<\/p>\n Also read about how plants feed through photosynthesis, selecting only the most beneficial colors for energy from the solar spectrum. The green spectrum is almost not involved in this process, which is why leaves reflect it.<\/p>\n Previously, we reported that some plant species, instead of simply absorbing sunlight, develop traps that allow them to hunt insects, small fish, and even salamanders. Several species of such carnivorous plants grow in the wild in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Source: rbc.ua\u201d +rel=\u201dnofollow\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why do scientists refer to trees as “living dead”? The age of trees cannot always be determined by the rings on a cross-section, and the plants themselves consist of a significant percentage of dead tissue. Even the largest giants of the planet have physical limitations that halt their growth and lead to their demise. Source: rbc.ua” +rel=\u201dnofollow\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67955,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"magazine_newspaper_sidebar_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-en"],"yoast_head":"\n\n