This tree uses lightning as “weapons”

Pioruns' strikes destroy millions of trees around the world. In tropical forests, atmospheric rehabilitation is the main cause of dying the largest and oldest trees. In 2015, Dr. Evan Gora, specializing in the ecology of forests, from the NGOs of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (USA) conducted research on the influence of lightning on biodiversity and storage of coal in the forests of Tropical Panama. Gora and his colleagues came across a tree belonging to the family Dipteryx oleifera.

– We started this work 10 years ago and it became really obvious that lightning is killing many trees, especially many very large trees (…) but Dipteryx oleifera He consistently showed no damage – Gora said.

As it turned out, the tree discovered by scientists not only remained “unmoved” for atmospheric display, but also benefited from them. At the end of March this year, an article summarizing this research appeared in the New Phytologist magazine.

Using the unique location system lightning strokesthe team followed the fate of 93 trees hit by lightning in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Central Panama. For two to six years after the impact, the team measured the rates of trees survival, the condition of the crown and the trunk, the number of parasitic vines or lianas and the mortality of neighboring trees. The study covered nine directly hit by lightning specimens Dipteryx oleifera. They were compared with 84 other trees that were hit. All nine specimens Dipteryx Direct lightning strokes with slight damage survived. Meanwhile, directly hit trees of other species were seriously damaged, losing an average of 5.7 times more leaves from the crowns. Over two -thirds of them died in two years.

“It was amazing, to see that there are trees that are hit by lightning and they are fine,” Gora recalled.

The extraordinary resistance to lightning impact makes it Dipertyx He benefits from what is a deadly threat to other trees. Studies have shown that lightning in each of the observed trees Dipteryx It was accompanied by an average of 9.2 neighboring trees. In addition, discharges reduced by 78 percent. “Invasion” Lian – parasitic vines, limiting the availability of light and nutrients for their hosts.

– over these 40 years there is a measurable, detectable threat related to life next to Dipteryx oleifera . [Jako drzewo]you have a much greater probability of death than living next to any other large, old tree in this forest – said Gora.

Scientists have determined that the key to immunity Dipertyx There is its construction. Earlier studies suggested that the tree has a high internal conductivity, which allows the lighting current to flow without accumulating harmful heat – like a well -insulated cable.

Using drones, Gora and colleagues, they created three -dimensional models of crowns that showed that trees Dipteryx They are usually about four meters higher than their closest neighbors, probably because lightning eliminated their higher neighbors. Scientists are now planning to expand their research to other forests in Africa and Southeast Asia to find out if lightning has a positive effect on other species.