What
you are seeing here is not a dead plant, or even a Christmas
decoration. This is an albino redwood tree, meaning that it completely
lacks the ability to produce chlorophyll. There are only a handful of
these trees in existence, estimated at between 25 to 60 individuals
along the California coastline, mostly within Henry Cowell Redwoods
State Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Redwood tre
Redwood tre
es
are amongst the tallest trees in the world, the tallest growing over
370 feet (113 meters) and many old growth redwoods are well over the age
of one thousand. The coastal redwood tree (Sequoia sempervirens) grows
close to the sea, from the Oregon coast down to central California.
These trees are extremely resilient, and can withstand massive forest
fires, lightning strikes, floods, and droughts. The redwood tree can
also produce asexually, and if the tree falls over, it has the ability
to sprout new trees along the entire trunk.
The albino trees are a great example of this resilience. But how on earth does this tree survive? Albinism in animals results in a change in visual characteristics, but albinism in plants results in taking away one of the crucial components that make the plant what it is. Without chlorophyll, it cannot turn sunlight into sugar. Instead, these albino individuals grow out of a mother tree, attached by the root system. The only source of nutrients it can obtain are what it can suck up from its host tree, making it a "vampire" or purely parasitic plant. But, most parasitic plants are small... these albino trees can grow over sixty feet (18 meters) in height! They can also live for well over a hundred years; impressive for an organism that cannot support itself in any way, shape, or form. Their white color is not the only strange characteristic about them. Their needles are limp and waxy, and they wither away when times are tough and reappear when their host tree produces more nutrients, somewhat like a ghost.
This albinism is an unexpected result of a very successful trait in redwood trees; S. sempervirens is hexaploid, meaning they have six copies of each chromosome. They have six genes per trait, meaning that they can adapt readily and quickly to most evolutionary changes, such as resistances to viruses or fungi, or they can develop better growth patterns. But, sometimes, these changes in traits lead to a dead stop. These are the albino trees. This may also explain why such a rare species of tree has so many examples of living mutated individuals.
A good number of albino redwoods have been mapped and documented, but most are hidden from the public to protect them from people who simply wish to take home a piece of the tree as a souvenir. A few are marked for visitors and are easily accessed from hiking trails and highways, but if you happen to come across one, please do not disturb the tree and take only memories, so we may continue to learn about its scientific secrets.
Sources:
http://
http://redwoods.info/
http://
http://science.kqed.org/
Image credit: wallacegardens.tumblr.com
The albino trees are a great example of this resilience. But how on earth does this tree survive? Albinism in animals results in a change in visual characteristics, but albinism in plants results in taking away one of the crucial components that make the plant what it is. Without chlorophyll, it cannot turn sunlight into sugar. Instead, these albino individuals grow out of a mother tree, attached by the root system. The only source of nutrients it can obtain are what it can suck up from its host tree, making it a "vampire" or purely parasitic plant. But, most parasitic plants are small... these albino trees can grow over sixty feet (18 meters) in height! They can also live for well over a hundred years; impressive for an organism that cannot support itself in any way, shape, or form. Their white color is not the only strange characteristic about them. Their needles are limp and waxy, and they wither away when times are tough and reappear when their host tree produces more nutrients, somewhat like a ghost.
This albinism is an unexpected result of a very successful trait in redwood trees; S. sempervirens is hexaploid, meaning they have six copies of each chromosome. They have six genes per trait, meaning that they can adapt readily and quickly to most evolutionary changes, such as resistances to viruses or fungi, or they can develop better growth patterns. But, sometimes, these changes in traits lead to a dead stop. These are the albino trees. This may also explain why such a rare species of tree has so many examples of living mutated individuals.
A good number of albino redwoods have been mapped and documented, but most are hidden from the public to protect them from people who simply wish to take home a piece of the tree as a souvenir. A few are marked for visitors and are easily accessed from hiking trails and highways, but if you happen to come across one, please do not disturb the tree and take only memories, so we may continue to learn about its scientific secrets.
Sources:
http://
http://redwoods.info/
http://
http://science.kqed.org/
Image credit: wallacegardens.tumblr.com
What
you are seeing here is not a dead plant, or even a Christmas
decoration. This is an albino redwood tree, meaning that it completely
lacks the ability to produce chlorophyll. There are only a handful of
these trees in existence, estimated at between 25 to 60 individuals
along the California coastline, mostly within Henry Cowell Redwoods
State Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Redwood tre
Redwood tre
es
are amongst the tallest trees in the world, the tallest growing over
370 feet (113 meters) and many old growth redwoods are well over the age
of one thousand. The coastal redwood tree (Sequoia sempervirens) grows
close to the sea, from the Oregon coast down to central California.
These trees are extremely resilient, and can withstand massive forest
fires, lightning strikes, floods, and droughts. The redwood tree can
also produce asexually, and if the tree falls over, it has the ability
to sprout new trees along the entire trunk.
The albino trees are a great example of this resilience. But how on earth does this tree survive? Albinism in animals results in a change in visual characteristics, but albinism in plants results in taking away one of the crucial components that make the plant what it is. Without chlorophyll, it cannot turn sunlight into sugar. Instead, these albino individuals grow out of a mother tree, attached by the root system. The only source of nutrients it can obtain are what it can suck up from its host tree, making it a "vampire" or purely parasitic plant. But, most parasitic plants are small... these albino trees can grow over sixty feet (18 meters) in height! They can also live for well over a hundred years; impressive for an organism that cannot support itself in any way, shape, or form. Their white color is not the only strange characteristic about them. Their needles are limp and waxy, and they wither away when times are tough and reappear when their host tree produces more nutrients, somewhat like a ghost.
This albinism is an unexpected result of a very successful trait in redwood trees; S. sempervirens is hexaploid, meaning they have six copies of each chromosome. They have six genes per trait, meaning that they can adapt readily and quickly to most evolutionary changes, such as resistances to viruses or fungi, or they can develop better growth patterns. But, sometimes, these changes in traits lead to a dead stop. These are the albino trees. This may also explain why such a rare species of tree has so many examples of living mutated individuals.
A good number of albino redwoods have been mapped and documented, but most are hidden from the public to protect them from people who simply wish to take home a piece of the tree as a souvenir. A few are marked for visitors and are easily accessed from hiking trails and highways, but if you happen to come across one, please do not disturb the tree and take only memories, so we may continue to learn about its scientific secrets.
Sources:
http://
http://redwoods.info/
http://
http://science.kqed.org/
Image credit: wallacegardens.tumblr.com
The albino trees are a great example of this resilience. But how on earth does this tree survive? Albinism in animals results in a change in visual characteristics, but albinism in plants results in taking away one of the crucial components that make the plant what it is. Without chlorophyll, it cannot turn sunlight into sugar. Instead, these albino individuals grow out of a mother tree, attached by the root system. The only source of nutrients it can obtain are what it can suck up from its host tree, making it a "vampire" or purely parasitic plant. But, most parasitic plants are small... these albino trees can grow over sixty feet (18 meters) in height! They can also live for well over a hundred years; impressive for an organism that cannot support itself in any way, shape, or form. Their white color is not the only strange characteristic about them. Their needles are limp and waxy, and they wither away when times are tough and reappear when their host tree produces more nutrients, somewhat like a ghost.
This albinism is an unexpected result of a very successful trait in redwood trees; S. sempervirens is hexaploid, meaning they have six copies of each chromosome. They have six genes per trait, meaning that they can adapt readily and quickly to most evolutionary changes, such as resistances to viruses or fungi, or they can develop better growth patterns. But, sometimes, these changes in traits lead to a dead stop. These are the albino trees. This may also explain why such a rare species of tree has so many examples of living mutated individuals.
A good number of albino redwoods have been mapped and documented, but most are hidden from the public to protect them from people who simply wish to take home a piece of the tree as a souvenir. A few are marked for visitors and are easily accessed from hiking trails and highways, but if you happen to come across one, please do not disturb the tree and take only memories, so we may continue to learn about its scientific secrets.
Sources:
http://
http://redwoods.info/
http://
http://science.kqed.org/
Image credit: wallacegardens.tumblr.com
What
you are seeing here is not a dead plant, or even a Christmas
decoration. This is an albino redwood tree, meaning that it completely
lacks the ability to produce chlorophyll. There are only a handful of
these trees in existence, estimated at between 25 to 60 individuals
along the California coastline, mostly within Henry Cowell Redwoods
State Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
Redwood tre
Redwood tre
es
are amongst the tallest trees in the world, the tallest growing over
370 feet (113 meters) and many old growth redwoods are well over the age
of one thousand. The coastal redwood tree (Sequoia sempervirens) grows
close to the sea, from the Oregon coast down to central California.
These trees are extremely resilient, and can withstand massive forest
fires, lightning strikes, floods, and droughts. The redwood tree can
also produce asexually, and if the tree falls over, it has the ability
to sprout new trees along the entire trunk.
The albino trees are a great example of this resilience. But how on earth does this tree survive? Albinism in animals results in a change in visual characteristics, but albinism in plants results in taking away one of the crucial components that make the plant what it is. Without chlorophyll, it cannot turn sunlight into sugar. Instead, these albino individuals grow out of a mother tree, attached by the root system. The only source of nutrients it can obtain are what it can suck up from its host tree, making it a "vampire" or purely parasitic plant. But, most parasitic plants are small... these albino trees can grow over sixty feet (18 meters) in height! They can also live for well over a hundred years; impressive for an organism that cannot support itself in any way, shape, or form. Their white color is not the only strange characteristic about them. Their needles are limp and waxy, and they wither away when times are tough and reappear when their host tree produces more nutrients, somewhat like a ghost.
This albinism is an unexpected result of a very successful trait in redwood trees; S. sempervirens is hexaploid, meaning they have six copies of each chromosome. They have six genes per trait, meaning that they can adapt readily and quickly to most evolutionary changes, such as resistances to viruses or fungi, or they can develop better growth patterns. But, sometimes, these changes in traits lead to a dead stop. These are the albino trees. This may also explain why such a rare species of tree has so many examples of living mutated individuals.
A good number of albino redwoods have been mapped and documented, but most are hidden from the public to protect them from people who simply wish to take home a piece of the tree as a souvenir. A few are marked for visitors and are easily accessed from hiking trails and highways, but if you happen to come across one, please do not disturb the tree and take only memories, so we may continue to learn about its scientific secrets.
Sources:
http://
http://redwoods.info/
http://
http://science.kqed.org/
Image credit: wallacegardens.tumblr.com
The albino trees are a great example of this resilience. But how on earth does this tree survive? Albinism in animals results in a change in visual characteristics, but albinism in plants results in taking away one of the crucial components that make the plant what it is. Without chlorophyll, it cannot turn sunlight into sugar. Instead, these albino individuals grow out of a mother tree, attached by the root system. The only source of nutrients it can obtain are what it can suck up from its host tree, making it a "vampire" or purely parasitic plant. But, most parasitic plants are small... these albino trees can grow over sixty feet (18 meters) in height! They can also live for well over a hundred years; impressive for an organism that cannot support itself in any way, shape, or form. Their white color is not the only strange characteristic about them. Their needles are limp and waxy, and they wither away when times are tough and reappear when their host tree produces more nutrients, somewhat like a ghost.
This albinism is an unexpected result of a very successful trait in redwood trees; S. sempervirens is hexaploid, meaning they have six copies of each chromosome. They have six genes per trait, meaning that they can adapt readily and quickly to most evolutionary changes, such as resistances to viruses or fungi, or they can develop better growth patterns. But, sometimes, these changes in traits lead to a dead stop. These are the albino trees. This may also explain why such a rare species of tree has so many examples of living mutated individuals.
A good number of albino redwoods have been mapped and documented, but most are hidden from the public to protect them from people who simply wish to take home a piece of the tree as a souvenir. A few are marked for visitors and are easily accessed from hiking trails and highways, but if you happen to come across one, please do not disturb the tree and take only memories, so we may continue to learn about its scientific secrets.
Sources:
http://
http://redwoods.info/
http://
http://science.kqed.org/
Image credit: wallacegardens.tumblr.com
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