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At Mind Matters News: Researchers: Trees “sense” their height and weight

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We have only recently discovered how complex plant communications are:

Trees rarely just fall over but we seldom stop to think about why they don’t. Manipulating the weight of downy birch trees, the team discovered that a tree can adjust its stem thickening in relation to its height, especially if the stem is free to move a bit. They were able to test this thesis by studying a mutant tree that sadly lacks that ability

Update: Reader David Spoede writes to say: ” A forester once told and then showed me that a large tree growing at about a 20° angle had developed an oval trunk, rather than the standard round trunk, in order to cope with its unique stress. He said that the tree could very well still be there a hundred years from now despite its severe angle.”

Many discoveries have been made in recent years about the complexity of plant communications:

Can plants be as smart as animals? Seeking to thrive and grow, plants communicate extensively, without a mind or a brainSeeking to thrive and grow, plants communicate extensively, without a mind or a brain

Is salad murder? If we think plants are “equal organisms” with respect to humans, it’s not clear whether salad is or isn’t murder. Or whether murder is even a serious ethical problem.

and

Researchers: Yes, plants have nervous systems too. Not only that but, like mammals, they use glutamate to speed transmission

Comments
"Trees sense their height and weight" color me surprised ... I would like to recommend a great documentary movie, exposing intelligent design in trees, featuring MAINSTREAM scientists from Germany and Canada, no creationists, no ID-advocates. INTELLIGENT TREES (2016) "Trees talk, know family ties and care for their young? Is this too fantastic to be true?" "How trees communicate and care for each other. A scientific journey into the "WOOD WIDE WEB" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6110712/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 The full movie is available on VIMEO (for free), here is the link: https://vimeo.com/341147972martin_r
February 8, 2020
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