How Borneo’s giant trees defy gravity and old scientific theories
Giant tropical trees in Malaysian Borneo pump water to their highest branches just as easily as to their lower-most branches, a new study says. Researchers say this suggests tall trees are not more vulnerable to drought than shorter trees, as was previously believed. For decades, scientists have hypothesized that as trees become taller, the effects […]
Recent research reveals that towering tropical trees in Malaysian Borneo defy gravity and conventional scientific theories with ease. Contrary to previous beliefs, scientists now assert that tall trees are not more susceptible to drought compared to their shorter counterparts. For decades, experts have theorized that taller trees face growth challenges due to gravity and the longer water transport routes.
In this groundbreaking study, researchers scrutinized 38 trees from five species within the Dipterocarpaceae family in Malaysia’s Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. Located in northeastern Borneo, these trees ranged from 23 to 233 feet in height. Notable among them are the keruing putih (Dipterocarpus caudiferus), kapur (Dryobalanops lanceolata), and meranti pepijat (Rubroshorea johorensis), all of which are among the world's tallest flowering trees and dominate Southeast Asian rainforests.
To gather data, specialist climbers meticulously scaled each tree to collect branches from various parts of the canopy. Upon analysis, the researchers measured several key traits of the water-carrying vessels within the wood, as well as the wood and leaves of the branches. Their findings indicate that tall trees employ two primary strategies to counteract their height: vessel widening and leaf adjustments.
As trees increase in height, they develop significantly wider water-carrying vessels at the trunk base, markedly reducing resistance to water flow. Additionally, leaves at the canopy's apex adjust their osmotic potential, maintaining higher water levels even under extreme conditions. This article was originally published on Mongabay.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
