Other plants, consisting of some ferns, send leaves or shoots that touch the ground and grow roots to sustain a brand-new plant. But the Panamanian tree fern, Cyathea rojasiana, reconfigures its “zombie leaves,” reversing the circulation of water to draw nutrients back into the plant. Credit: Graphic by Camila Pizano, color by Michael Vincent
Plant biologists have actually found that a distinct < period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>species</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>A species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex ="0" function ="link" > types of tree fern, special toPanama, has the capability to regrow its departed leaf fronds into root-like structures. This fern, referred to as(********** )Cyathea rojasiana(*********** ), changes these “zombie leaves” by modifying their water circulation instructions, allowing them to soak up nutrients back into the primary plant.
This odd phenomenon happens just after the leaves pass away and sag to the ground, statedUniversity ofIllinoisUrbana-Champaign plant biology teacherJames (******************************************************************************************************************************************************* )who made the discovery with his group while studying a various plant in aPanamanian forest reserve.Dalling discovered that the leaves were highly embedded in the soil and had actually grown a network of rootlets.(****************************************************************************************************************************** )tests exposed that the zombie leaves were drawing nitrogen out of the soil.
Even after they are transformed into roots, the wilted leaves appear like decayed plant matter, which is most likely why generations of plant biologists overlooked that they were carrying out a life-sustaining job, Dalling stated.
“This is a truly novel repurposing of tissue. And it’s distinct from what we know other ferns do,” he stated.
The Uniqueness of Cyathea rojasiana
Other plants, consisting of some ferns, send leaves or shoots that touch the ground and grow roots to sustain a brand-new plant, he stated. But reconfiguring dead tissue to feed the initial plant has actually never ever been reported. The brand-new findings are detailed in the journal Ecology
C. rojasiana comes from an ancient family tree of tree ferns going back to the < period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>Jurassic</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>The Jurassic period is a geologic time period and system that spanned 56 million years from the end of the Triassic Period about 201.3 million years ago to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period 145 million years ago. It constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic Era and is divided into three epochs: Early, Middle, and Late. The name "Jurassic" was given to the period by geologists in the early 19th century based on the rock formations found in the Jura Mountains, which were formed during the Jurassic period.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex ="0" function ="link" >Jurassic duration,Dalling stated.The zombie leaves are probably an adjustment to the nutrient-poor volcanic soils.
Geological andEnvironmentalContext
“Panama is a land bridge between North and South America that coalesced 7 million years ago out of an archipelago of islands, and those islands are the result of volcanic activity in the past,” he stated.“In one site we discovered, a layer of volcanic ash several meters deep looks like sand that you would dig up on a sandy beach. The plants that grow there are distinct from those that we find elsewhere in that forest reserve.”
University ofIllinoisUrbana-Champaign plant biology teacherJamesDalling and his associates found that some tree ferns recycle their dead leaves into roots. The scientists call these repurposed leaves“zombie leaves.”Credit:FredZwicky
The patchiness of the plant life implies soil nutrients likewise are unevenly dispersed.
“And so the tree ferns seem to be putting out tentacles to sample the surrounding soils,”Dalling stated.“They’re able to sample a greater range of nutrient environments for the same amount of investment of rootlets than if they just sent out a single rooting structure all around the fern. I think it’s all about the economics of how they use resources in a patchy environment.”
The tree ferns likewise grow really gradually.
“They’re probably putting on one or two leaves a year, and so they’re adding on the order of a few centimeters of height a year,” Dalling stated.
This implies each leaf is a significant financial investment of resources that the plant repurposes after the leaf passes away. The sluggish development likewise implies that the tree fern is brief enough that when its leaves pass away, they sag all the method to the ground. The trees reach an optimum height of about 2 meters, Dalling stated.
The finding is “another example of the extraordinary diversity of plant adaptations that exist in resource-poor environments,” he stated.
Reference: “Zombie leaves: Novel repurposing of senescent fronds in the tree fern Cyathea rojasiana in a tropical montane forest” by James W. Dalling, Evidelio Garcia, Carlos Espinosa, Camila Pizano, Astrid Ferrer and Jéssica Lira Viana, 18 January 2024, Ecology
DOI: 10.1002/ ecy.4248
Dalling likewise is a research study partner at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
