Latest news with #ItalianInstituteofTechnology
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hours before a solar eclipse, spruce trees 'talk' to each other
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Spruce trees retain ancient memories of their environment and communicate with one other in the hours preceding a solar eclipse, a new international study suggests. "We now see the forest not as a mere collection of individuals, but as an orchestra of phase correlated plants," Alessandro Chiolerio, Italian Institute of Technology and University of the West of England, and the study co-leader, said in a statement. An interdisciplinary team consisting of researchers from Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and Australia built custom sensors and placed them across a forest in the Dolomite mountains in Italy. Using the sensors, the team recorded simultaneous bioelectrical responses from the spruce trees. Before and during the eclipse, electrical activity from individual trees became "significantly" more synchronized, the researchers found. This phenomenon, they say, is evidence the forest is a unified living system. "By applying advanced analytical methods — including complexity measures and quantum field theory — we have uncovered a deeper, previously unrecognized dynamic synchronization not based on matter exchanges among trees," Chiolerio said. The older trees in the forest had an early response to the eclipse that was more pronounced, the authors say. This suggests the old trees hold ancient memories they can access. When events are coming up, the old trees "remember" and inform younger trees. "Basically, we are watching the famous 'wood wide web' in action!" Monica Gagliano, Southern Cross University, Australia, and study co-leader, said in the statement. Gagliano said the findings about the older trees in particular emphasize the importance of preserving these trees. Related Stories: — The sun might be spitting out particles that create water on the moon — World's largest solar telescope gains powerful new 'eye' to study the sun's secrets — The epic total solar eclipse of 2024 caused some birds to stop singing "The fact that older trees respond first — potentially guiding the collective response of the forest — speaks volumes about their role as memory banks of past environmental events," Galiano said. "This discovery underscores the critical importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience by preserving and transmitting invaluable ecological knowledge," she added. The study was published on April 30 in the journal Royal Society Open Science. A documentary on the research, Il Codice del Bosco (The Forest Code), is set for release in Italy this month. You can check out the official trailer here.
Otago Daily Times
02-05-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Networked trees' cosmic connection
The researchers also detected changes in the bioelectric responses of the stumps during the eclipse. Photo: Zenit Arti Audiovisive Earth's cycles of light and dark profoundly affect billions of organisms. Events such as solar eclipses are known to bring about marked shifts in animals, but do they have the same effect on plants? During a solar eclipse in a forest in Italy's Dolomites region, scientists seized the chance to explore that fascinating question. The researchers were monitoring the bioelectric impulses of spruce trees, when a solar eclipse passed over. They left their sensors running to record the trees' response to the eclipse — and what they observed was astonishing. The spruce trees not only responded to the solar eclipse — they actively anticipated it, by synchronising their bioelectric signals hours in advance. This forest-wide phenomenon reveals a new layer of complexity in plant behaviour. It adds to emerging evidence that plants actively take part in their ecosystems. DO TREES RESPOND COLLECTIVELY? The research was led by Prof Alessandro Chiolerio, of the Italian Institute of Technology, and Prof Monica Gagliano, of Australia's Southern Cross University, who is the lead author on this article. It also involved a team of international scientists. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, fully or partially blocking the Sun's light. An eclipse can inspire awe and even social cohesion in humans. Other animals have been shown to gather and synchronise their movements during such an event. But scientists know very little about how plants respond to solar eclipses. Some research suggests the rapid transitions from darkness to light during an eclipse can change plant behaviour. But this research focuses on the responses of individual plants. The latest study set out to discover if trees respond to a solar eclipse together, as a living collective. WHAT THE RESEARCH INVOLVED Charged molecules travel through the cells of all living organisms, transmitting electrical signals as they go. Collectively, this electrical activity is known as the organism's "electrome". The electrical activity is primarily driven by the movement of ions across cell membranes. It creates tiny currents that allow organisms, including humans, to co-ordinate their body and communicate. The researchers wanted to investigate the electrical signals of spruce trees (Picea abies) during a partial solar eclipse on October 25, 2022. It took place in the Costa Bocche forest near Paneveggio in the Dolomites area, Italy. The scientists set out to understand the trees' electrical activity during the hour-long eclipse. They used custom-built sensors and wired them to three trees. Two were healthy trees about 70 years old, one in full sun and one in full shade. The third was a healthy tree about 20 years old, in full shade. Photo: Zenit Arti Audiovisive They also attached the sensors to five tree stumps — the remnants of old trees, originally part of a pristine forest, but which were devastated by a storm several years earlier. For each tree and stump, the researchers used five pairs of electrodes, placed in both the inner and outer layers of the tree, including on exposed roots, branches and trunks. The electrodes were connected to the sensors. This set-up allowed the scientists to monitor the bioelectric activity from multiple trees and stumps across four sites during the solar eclipse. They examined both individual tree responses, and bioelectric signals between trees. In particular, the scientists measured changes in the trees' "bioelectric potentials". This term refers to the differences in voltage across cell membranes. WHAT DID THEY FIND? The electrical activity of all three trees became significantly more synchronised around the eclipse — both before and during the one-hour event. These changes occur at a microscopic level, such as inside water and lymph molecules in the tree. The two older trees in the study had a much more pronounced early response to the impending eclipse than the young tree. This suggests older trees may have developed mechanisms to anticipate and respond to such events, similar to their responses to seasonal changes. Solar eclipses may seem rare from a human perspective, but they follow cycles that can occur well within the lifespan of long-lived trees. The scientists also detected bioelectric waves travelling between the trees. This suggests older trees may transmit their ecological knowledge to younger trees. Such a dynamic is consistent with studies showing long-distance signalling between plants can help them co-ordinate various physiological functions in response to environmental changes. The researchers also detected changes in the bioelectric responses of the stumps during the eclipse, albeit less pronounced than in the standing trees. This suggests the stumps were still alive. The research team then used computer modelling, and advanced analytical methods including quantum field theory, to test the findings of the physical experiment. The results reinforced the experimental results. That is, not only did the eclipse influence the bioelectric responses of individual trees, the activity was correlated. This suggests a cohesive, organism-like reaction at the forest scale. UNDERSTANDING FOREST CONNECTIONS These findings align with extensive prior research by others, highlighting the extent to which trees in forest ecosystems are connected. These behaviours may ultimately influence the forest ecosystem's resilience, biodiversity and overall function, by helping it cope with rapid and unpredictable changes. The findings also underscore the importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience — potentially preserving and transmitting invaluable ecological knowledge. This research is featured in a documentary, Il Codice del Bosco (The Forest Code), which premiered in Italy this week. Monica Gagliano is a research associate professor in evolutionary biology, Southern Cross University. Prudence Gibson is a lecturer and researcher in plant humanities, UNSW Sydney.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Older trees tell younger spruces when eclipses will happen, study shows
Older trees send messages to younger spruces before an eclipse, scientists have found. Spruces start syncing their electrical activity 14 hours before the astronomical phenomenon begins, a study of trees in the Italian Dolomites discovered. Italian and Australian scientists detected bioelectrical waves travelling between the trees, suggesting that the 'ancestral memories' about an eclipse were being transmitted between them. Researchers picked up on the phenomenon while using sensors to monitor the bioelectrical patterns of spruce trees in the Costa Bocche forest near Paneveggio. 'What we found was quite incredible and in a way unexpected,' said Prof Monica Gagliano from Southern Cross University in Australia. 'We had an eclipse event passing through the site while we were recording and monitoring the trees and we observed something that we see in animals but have never seen before in plants, a synchronisation behaviour. 'All the trees that we were monitoring ended up having the same behaviour and the same bioelectrical signature coming out during the eclipse event. 'Older trees were the ones that started the signal first, 14 hours before the eclipse even arrived and they were the ones to send a message to all the others, especially the young ones that potentially never experienced an event of this kind and allowed everyone to synchronise as one.'She added: 'We went from individual trees to see the activity of the forest as one entity and then everyone came back and did whatever they wanted after the eclipse was done.' Most species are sensitive to light, having evolved to take advantage of the 24-hour cycle of day and night which drives circadian clocks inside cells. Animals can also adapt their behaviour to astronomical events, with many marine animals, particularly corals and invertebrates like worms, synchronising their spawning with the full moon. During an eclipse, birds stop singing, cattle return to their sheds and horses cluster together, shaking their heads and tails. But these animal changes are driven by the fall in light. Researchers say the trees cannot be sensing changes in light, so have theorised they may be picking up tiny gravitational changes, or even have memory of previous eclipses. Older trees exhibited the most anticipatory activity. Prof Alessandro Chiolerio, of the Italian Institute of Technology, said: 'There are two options we could not totally exclude: they could sense gravitational perturbations connected to the astronomical event; or they could have a memory of previous eclipses, occurring with a periodicity of 18 years.' All cells in living organisms communicate and coordinate using tiny currents of electricity which is collectively known as an 'electrome'. For the study the team placed electrodes in two trees of about 70 years old, one in full sun and one in the shade as well as a 20-year-old tree in full shade. They also attached the sensors to five tree stumps. They found the activity of all three trees – and even the stumps – became significantly more synchronised around the eclipse – both before and during the one-hour event, with the two older trees having a much clearer early response. It lasted for about 17 hours after the event. Scientists do not know why the trees appear to sync but believe it could be to reassure each other during periods of change. Many animals huddle together collectively during eclipses. Long distance signalling between plants has already been recorded in scientific literature, with trees in forests often using fungal and root networks to transmit information about threats, a phenomenon dubbed the Wood Wide Web. This 'underground internet' for trees enables them to transfer water, nutrients and chemical signals. Prof Gagliano added: 'This is a very remarkable example of the Wood Wide Web in action. 'This signal was coming from the older trees to the younger ones which, without being warned of an event like an eclipse, might have been suffering from hydraulic dysfunction which meant they could have dehydrated and died of thirst. 'It reinforces that old trees cannot simply be replaced by replanting but they need to be protected because they hold ancestral memories that allow for resilience and adaptation in a state of climate change.' The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Older trees tell younger spruces when eclipses will happen, study shows
Older trees send messages to younger spruces before an eclipse, scientists have found. Spruces start syncing their electrical activity 14 hours before the astronomical phenomenon begins, a study of trees in the Italian Dolomites discovered. Italian and Australian scientists detected bioelectrical waves travelling between the trees, suggesting that the 'ancestral memories' about an eclipse were being transmitted between them. Researchers picked up on the phenomenon while using sensors to monitor the bioelectrical patterns of spruce trees in the Costa Bocche forest near Paneveggio. 'What we found was quite incredible and in a way unexpected,' said Prof Monica Gagliano from Southern Cross University in Australia. 'We had an eclipse event passing through the site while we were recording and monitoring the trees and we observed something that we see in animals but have never seen before in plants, a synchronisation behaviour. 'All the trees that we were monitoring ended up having the same behaviour and the same bioelectrical signature coming out during the eclipse event. 'Older trees were the ones that started the signal first, 14 hours before the eclipse even arrived and they were the ones to send a message to all the others, especially the young ones that potentially never experienced an event of this kind and allowed everyone to synchronise as one.' She added: 'We went from individual trees to see the activity of the forest as one entity and then everyone came back and did whatever they wanted after the eclipse was done.' Most species are sensitive to light, having evolved to take advantage of the 24-hour cycle of day and night which drives circadian clocks inside cells. Animals can also adapt their behaviour to astronomical events, with many marine animals, particularly corals and invertebrates like worms, synchronising their spawning with the full moon. During an eclipse, birds stop singing, cattle return to their sheds and horses cluster together, shaking their heads and tails. But these animal changes are driven by the fall in light. Researchers say the trees cannot be sensing changes in light, so have theorised they may be picking up tiny gravitational changes, or even have memory of previous eclipses. Older trees exhibited the most anticipatory activity. Prof Alessandro Chiolerio, of the Italian Institute of Technology, said: 'There are two options we could not totally exclude: they could sense gravitational perturbations connected to the astronomical event; or they could have a memory of previous eclipses, occurring with a periodicity of 18 years.' All cells in living organisms communicate and coordinate using tiny currents of electricity which is collectively known as an 'electrome'. For the study the team placed electrodes in two trees of about 70 years old, one in full sun and one in the shade as well as a 20-year-old tree in full shade. They also attached the sensors to five tree stumps. They found the activity of all three trees – and even the stumps – became significantly more synchronised around the eclipse – both before and during the one-hour event, with the two older trees having a much clearer early response. It lasted for about 17 hours after the event. Scientists do not know why the trees appear to sync but believe it could be to reassure each other during periods of change. Many animals huddle together collectively during eclipses. Long distance signalling between plants has already been recorded in scientific literature, with trees in forests often using fungal and root networks to transmit information about threats, a phenomenon dubbed the Wood Wide Web. This 'underground internet' for trees enables them to transfer water, nutrients and chemical signals. Prof Gagliano added: 'This is a very remarkable example of the Wood Wide Web in action. 'This signal was coming from the older trees to the younger ones which, without being warned of an event like an eclipse, might have been suffering from hydraulic dysfunction which meant they could have dehydrated and died of thirst. 'It reinforces that old trees cannot simply be replaced by replanting but they need to be protected because they hold ancestral memories that allow for resilience and adaptation in a state of climate change.'
