[FLPERMACULTURE] Interesting tree tidbit

[Jon Bosak]

Hi Mike,

Not spam at all.  The report has to be one of the most interesting
findings about plants in quite a while.  And your questions about
the understory never occurred to me.  I bet they never occurred to
the researchers, either.

Jon

Micheal Wheeler wrote:
> Thanks for the clarification, Jon.  I realized that they weren't being 
> homeostatic at 70 degrees, the quote said that was just the average 
> temperature, but I didn't get the insight about that being the point of 
> greatest activity.  [Kind of like what 'they' say about "dollar cost 
> averaging" when buying mutual funds.  (Ummm, well, not really.) (in 
> fact, maybe the opposite?) ]
> 
> Rereading my email I see I should have been explicit about why this 
> might be interesting to a permaculture list and not just some well 
> intentioned but misguided spam.  
> 
> For me it is the trees' adaptation responses that pose the most 
> interesting questions.  
> 
>  >>Tree leaves keep cool through constant evaporation and reducing sun
>  > exposure through leaf angles [wilting] or reflective qualities. 
> Warmth is gained
>  > by decreasing evaporation and increasing the number of leaves per branch.
> 
> How will the understory plants be affected?  If a warmer tree is using 
> more water, does that affect what you might want to plant under it?  Is 
> the microclimate humidity more or less stable because of the extra 
> evaporation?  If the number of leaves per branch increases, does the 
> shade also increase?  If the previous late summer was warm when the new 
> leaves were forming, will there be fewer leaves per branch this spring? 
>  How does all this affect the functions of the trees and the forest? 
>  Timber functions?  Fruiting functions?  Water functions?  Is their 
> hypothesis about mechanisms even true?  How would I find out, and at 
> what cost?  
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 11:28 AM, Jon Bosak <bosak at ibiblio.org 
> <mailto:bosak at ibiblio.org>> wrote:
> 
> 
>     Not exactly (though it's been widely reported this way).  [snip]
>     Not to say that this isn't a mighty interesting finding, but it's
>     not quite what's being reported.  There's a somewhat more careful
>     summary at
> 
>        http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611135100.htm
> 
> 
> 
> p.s. -- if this still is well intentioned but misguided spam, please let 
> me know off-list.  Mike
> 
> -- 
> "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they 
> don't have any."
> --Alice Walker
> 
> 
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> 
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