Revealing the golden milestone that helps trees cope with climate change

Scientists have discovered that plants use the Summer Solstice as a "biological milestone" to adjust their growth, helping them adapt better to global climate change.

Every year, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. New research by scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) shows that the summer solstice serves as an important evolutionary milestone, helping plants adjust their growth and reproduction to adapt to climate change. Photo: earth.com.

As the Earth warms, this natural signal may become less reliable, and plants may need to look for “other guides” to support their growth and reproduction. Photo: organicconsumers.

According to the study, scientists discovered that many tree species, including oaks, begin to adjust their growth strategies shortly after the summer solstice - the time of year when daylight reaches its maximum in the Northern Hemisphere. Photo: plant-world-gardens.co.uk.

Research led by Professor Michał Bogdziewicz at Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland) found that no matter where oak trees grow in Europe, they enter a temperature-sensitive phase right around the summer solstice. Photo: moorlandcottageplants.

Over the next 30 to 40 days, the oak tree will take thermal cues to determine how many flowers and fruits it will produce the following year. If the weather is warm, the tree may produce abundant fruit, and if it is cold, the tree may not produce fruit at all - a phenomenon known as intermittent fruiting. Photo: gardenia.net.

In addition, Swiss scientists have found that plants in temperate forests adjust their leaf aging rhythms to the temperatures before and after the summer solstice. High temperatures before the summer solstice accelerate the aging process, while high temperatures after the solstice extend the time leaves remain photosynthetic, allowing plants to make the most of favorable late summer conditions. Photo: Andrew Grossman.

In a new study, Dr. Victor Van der Meersch and Dr. Elizabeth Wolkovich at the University of British Columbia (Canada) analyzed more than 1,000 years of climate data in Europe and North America. They found that trees often reach their optimal temperature for biological growth at the summer solstice. Remarkably, this timing has remained virtually unchanged over the centuries, despite climate change. Photo: Andrew Grossman.

However, scientists are currently debating whether plants respond primarily to day length or accumulated temperature. Dr Van der Meersch suggests that temperature may play a more important role because heat accumulation around the summer solstice appears to be a clearer signal of crop conditions. Photo: Andrew Grossman.

Understanding this response mechanism is important as climate change becomes more evident. If crops are not developed at the right time, they may flower too early, be at risk of frost, and have implications for food security and biodiversity. Photo: Andrew Grossman.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Decoding the phenomenon of "walking trees" like humans.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/tiet-lo-moc-vang-giup-cay-coi-ung-pho-bien-doi-khi-hau-post1549822.html