The tops of these trees of special species do not want to touch the tops of neighboring trees. This creates space between one tree and another. In this way, the gap between more than one tree looks like a puzzle. These gaps seem to form a network of empty spaces. Scientists have named this distance between the trees 'Crown Shines'.
Needless to say, Crown shine does not occur in all trees. Again, Crown Shines may not be found in all forests. In addition to some species of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), pine tree (Pinus contorta), Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi), eucalyptus, Crown shines are also seen in some other species. Crown shine is usually found in more than one tree of the same species, but in some cases it is also found in different species of trees. It can also be seen in multiple branches of the same tree.
Such a distance from one tree to another can be seen in many parts of the world. Similar distances can be seen from the mangroves of Costa Rica to the camphor trees of Malaysia.
The way the discussion came about
Speaking of 1982. Biologist Francis Jack Patz was walking in the Black Mangrove Forest in Guanacaste National Park, Costa Rica, to escape the intense heat of the afternoon. After a few hours of fieldwork and lunch, he decided to take a nap under a tree.
When he looked up while sleeping, he noticed that the branches of one tree were tilted towards another tree due to the wind, but the leaves of the trees kept a distance from the leaves of another tree. As if one tree is not interested in touching the leaves of another tree.
When Patz saw the scene forty years ago, he argued that the tree also needed private space. At the present time, many scientists are working to find the scientific basis for his observations. However, since 1920, Crown Shines has been mentioned many times in scientific literature.
The cause of Crown Shines
Scientists have not yet been able to identify the real cause of this gap in the trees. Each scientist has given a different kind of theory. However, most of them have admitted that there is no single reason behind Crown Shines. There could be multiple reasons behind this.
Some scientists initially speculated that one of the most important components of photosynthesis was the lack of light, so that trees could not fill in the gaps between them.
According to Meg Loman, a biologist and director of the Tree Foundation, such Crown Shines could also be a tree-related version of social distance. "From the moment you can increase the distance between the trees, you can increase the productivity of the trees," he said. This is the beauty of isolation. The trees are actually protecting their own health.
In 1955, a study was conducted on a species of eucalyptus in northeastern Australia. It is said that due to strong winds here, one tree collides with another tree. This breaks the top leaves and twigs of the trees and creates space between one tree and another.
In 1964, Patz and his team showed in their published research that in some cases, the swaying of a tree under the influence of wind could cause crown shine. According to their research, the more wind was blowing in the mangroves, the greater the distance between the tops of the trees.
Two decades after Patz, a team led by Michigan University of Technology biologist Mark Rudnicki measured the force of a wind blowing a pine tree in Alberta, Canada. They see that in forests where there is more wind and taller trees of equal height, Crown Shine occurs more. But when Rudniki and his team use nylon ropes to avoid collisions with neighboring pine trees, the leaves of the trees are filling in the gaps between them. Then Crown Shine is no more.
According to Rudniki, some trees have learned that they can no longer grow their own bodies (stalks, leaves). Iness Ebenez, an ecologist at the University of Michigan, says trees stop their growth at some point so that tree branches don't break. In the case of plants, it is very difficult to produce new tissue. It's a lot like the trees understand themselves - they don't need to grow anymore, too much can hurt themselves.
Marley G. Duged, a forester and horticulturist at Yale University, said such prudence could take many trees one step further. To do this, the plants use a special sensing system to detect chemicals from nearby plants. Such chemical interactions with trees are quite complex and occur in small amounts. But if one tree can perceive another, they can stop growing their own twigs and leaves before they can touch each other.
Loman thinks the tree's own advantage is behind the crown shines. One of the parts of a tree is its leaves, he said. The tree wants to protect its leaves at any cost. If one of its branches is injured by the wind, it is deadly to the tree. That is why the trees try to live at a distance.
According to a theory by Miguel Franco, each tree forces its neighbors to move in a pattern that maximizes resource accumulation and reduces harmful competition. Ecological interactions are quite complex. As a result, there may be multiple reasons behind Crown Shines.
Advantage
Meg Loman thinks that these special trees keep a distance between themselves for their own benefit. Trees also have to compete with other plants and animals for the collection of nutrients such as nutrients, water, space and light. In dense forests there is intense competition among plants for lighting. These gaps in the Crown Shines help the plants to get the right light and keep the photosynthesis process in their favor.
Due to the vacuum created, sunlight can reach the forest soil. This makes it easier for small plants and animals to survive, which in turn indirectly helps the larger plants to survive.
Patz thinks these gaps help the trees avoid the invasive creeper called Lianas. Such creepers are found in tropical and temperate forests all over the world. Moreover, these spaces also help to avoid pathogens and insects. Plants also need to be kept at a distance to protect themselves from external pathogens. This particular species of trees adhere that.
It's about crown shyness, a phenomenon. In some forests, trees grow in a manner that keeps their branches from touching one another.
Good one