Examples Of “Crown Shyness”, a phenomenon where trees avoid touching

Oct 17, 2017 10:23 PM

Moghrion

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And also, some indoor gardening tax... and since I have a feel you might like these, but given the fact I still didn't figure out that front page edit, let me tell you, if this hits FP, send me pictures of your hands... palms... i have an ongoing and quite lasting study of relation of hands and palms with personality...

it's like looking up at the bottom of a massive Petri dish.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Wow, that just kind of kept going

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I'd send you a pic of my hands, but I don't like the idea of you touching them.

8 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

As a high school teacher, I wish Freshmen had crown shyness. Really I'll settle for any type of affliction where they don't touch each other

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

That is frickin' cool. Upvote.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

8 years ago | Likes 126 Dislikes 0

You win

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Not touching you. Not touching you. Not touching you.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

How many times did i look at the same picture

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

It almost looks like islands with rivers between them. So cool!

8 years ago | Likes 91 Dislikes 0

I've clearly spent too much time rendering fake lightning in Photoshop, because I simply thought, "oh hey, difference clouds".

8 years ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 0

Never have I ever felt more understood by a tree

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

even trees need to say stay outta mah bubble

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Moooom she’s touching me. Tell her not To Touch me.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Thought I was looking at the ground wtf

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Like the contents of my dinner plate

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I know that feels. They must remain in their respective corners.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Although this is cool, for some reason it gives me anxiety

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I couldn't look past the first two pictures. Seeing your post makes me feel less odd about that.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

same... made me really uncomfortable for some reason D:

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Nature's version of "No Homo"

8 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 2

Hoverleaves

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It's not gay if the roots don't touch.

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

What kind of trees do this?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Trees = more capable of mutual respect than humans

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

What trees are these? Because not all tress exemplify Crown Shyness.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Only if they're the same species. Motherfuckers will choke out other species though.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

"Na na I'm not touchhhhinnng you"

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Almost like imgurians!

8 years ago | Likes 140 Dislikes 2

Except cuter!

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Idk. There are a lot of pretty Imgurettes I would like to tou- aaaand i'm a fucking creep...

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Give it a min...

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The trees have cooties. Duh.

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Me too :(

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

IDK man, I'm a big fan of hugs..,

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Why do trees do that? Or what causes this to happen? Wouldn't more exposed surface area for leaves only benefit the tree?

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

People don't seem to know. Could simply be that trees of similar heights growing into one another would both start to block sunlight

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

for the other, creating an energetically expensive investment of low return.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This might prevent some pests/infections from spreading as quickly as they could with contact. Evolution: Only non-touchy trees survived

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

There is lots what we don't know about trees. Just recently it was found out how some stronger trees help weaker ones. They communicate.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

v

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

These trees are probably all male and thinking "It's only gay if our leaves touch."

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Why no content @OP? Imgur likes facts more than it like tree pics.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Cause we don't know why the trees do what the tress do.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Imma biologist mate (though ethology not botany). There is definitely some theories on the mechanism here. Even if not OP could have said so

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

But do you know why the trees do what they do?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

As mentioned above Ethologist not Botanist. Those are as far apart you can be and still be an Ecologist. Biology covers a pretty big range.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Nohomoceae

8 years ago | Likes 261 Dislikes 1

Hahahah

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Weird...according to google you are literally the only person to type that word. https://imgur.com/fFiSGCg

8 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

And also with you.

8 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

I only slightly understand the joke but I'll upvote anyway >.>

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

*bows* A botanist around us

8 years ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 0

a fungus among us

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Really went out on a limb for that one

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

They should take a bough

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Tried googling why this happens and here's the answer from the scientific community: dunno. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_shyness

8 years ago | Likes 45 Dislikes 0

Those edge-leaves would be less productive due to conflict with adjacent trees. Cool how the tree figures it out though.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I love when things have a current status of "fuck if i know for sure". That's someones thesis defence in the making

8 years ago | Likes 29 Dislikes 0

Might be a way to avoid getting knocked over in windy conditions? If the crowns are tangled, several trees might come down together.

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

"As the result of abrasions and collisions, there is an induced crown shyness response." Well -- hello, Jean Baptiste LaMarck!

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I read somewhere that if they touch, the new tender leaves would get damaged when there is wind because of the other tree. But dunno

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

1. Years ago I remember hearing about certain forests that were either found to be a single organism, or where every tree was connected

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

2. underground through a massive root system. If one tree was dying it would flush all its nutrients into the roots to make others healthier

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

3. Maybe crown shyness is a similar sort "greater good" for all the trees, like by not blocking each other from sunlight or something?

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Hey, thanks.

8 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

nah, thats easy. Even trees have their own personal space. YOU HEAR THAT JOHN? EVEN TREES LIKE THEIR OWN PERSONAL SPACE.

8 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Speaking for the forestry community, it's due to wind action abrasion and competition for light between trees. Bigger crown means it gets >

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

More sugar to spend on minerals in the mycelium exchange network, allowing the tree to grow taller, resulting in more sun exposure

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Sounds like they don't appreciate running into each other. It's also a good way to let light in

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

As an educated person in a totally unrelated field, my first guess is that it prevents parasites from spreading as quickly.

8 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 0

I suspect that the motion of the tree branches hitting other tree branches have a physical sheering effect, cutting the sides b4 they grow.

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

As one with minute gardening experience: it's probably just trying to maximize photosynthesis opportunities by avoiding leaf entanglement.

8 years ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 1

But wouldn't the competition for light push them to encroach on one another?

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I mean, the branches grow towards light. Guess where light isn't? Where those leaves already are!

8 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

Different, lower levels of light are of course reflected by their neighbors, but it's obviously going to be weaker than direct sun.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

And as for the mention of some trees doing this only with their own kind, someone should compare their reflective index to other species'.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Perhaps not under, but then why wouldn't the trees compete by trying to grow their canopies over the other and close the gap? You're right..

8 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

..that the branches would grow toward the light, and there is all that light resource that neither tree is using! Why do you think they..

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It wouldn't be beneficial to their competition if they couldn't sense where to grow, after all; strongly hinting at the mechanism in play.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I think this is a great hypothesis. The next step would be to identify the potential parasites (or herbivores or pathogens) that the trees..

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

..are trying to avoid and see how they disperse. Anything dispersing through wind or with a vector would not be avoided with this behavior.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Maybe so, but the trees don't know that. We're looking to see what causes it, not the potential benefits.

8 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 3

Evolutionarily they do know that. As in, the crown shy trees are less prone to getting parasites, and they survive and breed/

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

That still doesn't answer the question. The question is, what causes it. If I raise my arm to grab something, it goes up because of electric

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Signals going from my brain to my muscles in my arm. NOT because "there's stuff on that shelf that I need"

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

They’re all just bitches.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The potential benefits would be what causes this, evolutionarily speaking. The trees may not "know" this, but these specific species may..

8 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

You're giving me an answer to the wrong question. I'm not looking for the "why" I'm looking for the "how".

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Aaaah, I had to read your other comments to see what you were getting at. As far as lodgepole pine is concerned, it sounds like tree sway..

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

..have evolved to do this by being offspring of trees who behaved this way and were more successful in reproducing because of it.

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The mechanism is certainly important in reaching either conclusion, however not all adaptations passed on are beneficial to reproduction.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Can't reply to your post on my comment due to some glitch, but they can probably sense e/o pheromones or metabolism byproducts 1/2

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

and a branch sensing a critical concentration of them stops growing. 2/2

8 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Given that trees' primary survival "sense" is a sensitivity to light, I'm going to guess that neither option is correct here.

8 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0