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Getting hit by lightning is good for some tropical trees

Getting zapped with millions of volts of electricity may not sound like a healthy activity, but for some trees, it is, according to a new study. Published in New Phytologist, the study finds that some tropical tree species are not only able to tolerate lightning strikes, but benefit from them. The trees may have even evolved to act as lightning rods.

A keystone species of Panamanian forests, D. oleifera fruits and seeds are a crucial food source for rainforest mammals such as agouti during the dry season.Scientists had previously suspected that some trees evolved to tolerate lightning, but evidence to back it up was lacking. Understanding lightning and its role in shaping the forests may be important for predicting changes in biodiversity and carbon storage, and for informing tropical reforestation efforts. New Phytologis t is a leading international journal focusing on high quality, original research across the broad spectrum of plant sciences, from intracellular processes through to global environmental change.

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