Scientists Discover Trees ‘Holding Their Breath’ to Survive Wildfires.mp4

Amaze Lab

Wildfires can affect people hundreds of miles away from where they’re burning, with humans far away having to shelter from the smoke riding winds far and wide. Well, a new study has found that trees that are within the path of wildfire smoke act similarly, effectively closing themselves off to the world during periods of smokiness.

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00:00wildfires can affect people hundreds of miles from where they're burning with faraway humans

00:08having to shelter from the smoke which rides winds far and wide well a new study has found

00:12that trees that are within the path of wildfire smoke act similarly effectively closing themselves

00:18off to the world plants like humans have pores in their exteriors called stomata stomata are where

00:23plants take in co2 and release oxygen the opposite of humans however this breathing in and out

00:28happens concurrently in plants as well however during observations in colorado during the 2020

00:33wildfire season experts noticed that when the air was hanging heavy with smoke the plants they were

00:37measuring photosynthesis levels for another study were exhibiting weird behavior in that there was

00:42almost no photosynthesis happening at all and their stomata were completely closed the researchers say

00:47they then conducted a sort of plant cpr clearing the leaves airways by changing the temperature and

00:52humidity levels finding that the plants suddenly began photosynthesis again and producing organic

00:58compounds they say they still aren't sure if the tree is doing this on purpose or if other factors

01:02are at work but that this raises new questions about the long and short-term effects of wildfires on our

01:08planet's forests

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