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| Finnish Birch Trees (Photo by Tiia Monto) |
Humans sleep, animals sleep, but do trees nap also? Research
indicates that they very well might. After all,
photosynthesis is hard work. When night falls, and light-sensitive tasks must be temporarily halted, trees can seize
the opportunity to hang their weary branches in peaceful repose.
Not needing to stretch upward during this interval of darkness, sampled birch trees instead “appeared to relax, or droop, their branches at the tips by as much as four inches.” Other factors, such as wind and rain, were ruled out during these measurements.
These movements occur nightly. Then just before dawn, branches begin angling back upward. Such
recurrences suggest that trees are guided by an “internal circadian clock.”
Resources
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/20/do-trees-sleep-at-night-scientists-think-some-might/
Copyright May 21, 2016 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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