Whenever a solar eclipse occurs, life seems to stand still for a brief moment. Humans watch the sky, animals display eccentric behaviors, but what about plants? It turns out that plant life has its own patented way of dealing with this astronomical event. A new study has shown that trees react to solar eclipses and even anticipate them hours in advance, synchronizing their bioelectrical signals in preparation.
The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, details this hidden power that comes ingrained in biological code of trees. The results reveal the amazing collective potential of trees, deepening our understanding of plants and their complex identity.
Solar Eclipse Events and Nature
The influence of solar eclipses on organisms has mostly focused on animals rather than plants. Scientists took advantage of the 2017 and 2024 total solar eclipses to refresh their understanding of animal reactions to a darkening sky and cooling temperatures.
During these events, they found that many animals tended to coordinate their actions, whether huddling together or moving as a group. Research has suggested that this may represent an evolutionary function meant to minimize danger from environmental changes.
Plants haven't received the same attention as animals during solar eclipses, but the new study has proven that they are just as capable of coordinated behaviors.
Read More: Away From Humans, Birds Fall Completely Silent During A Total Solar Eclipse
How Do Trees React to a Solar Eclipse?
In the study, researchers focused on the electrome of trees — this network encompasses the bioelectrical signals they generate to communicate and coordinate responses to environmental changes.
To see the electrome in action, the researchers measured bioelectrical signals in spruce trees located in the Dolomites during a partial solar eclipse. They accomplished this by setting up a system of sensors that could continuously collect data from the trees during the event.
The data revealed that trees’ signals became more synchronized before and during the solar eclipse. Hours before the eclipse, the trees were able to anticipate the astronomical event and change their bioelectrical behavior to gear up for impending effects like drops in sap flow.
This was most prominent in older trees, which may have gained such impressive anticipatory abilities by growing accustomed to eclipse patterns over their long lifespan. After the older trees braced themselves for the eclipse, the rest of the trees followed suit, demonstrating an intertwined connection shared by the whole forest.
“This study illustrates the anticipatory and synchronized responses we observed are key to understanding how forests communicate and adapt, revealing a new layer of complexity in plant behaviour,” said lead author Monica Gagliano, an evolutionary ecologist at Australia's Southern Cross University, in a statement.
The Need to Preserve Forests
Researchers aren’t certain about the specific cues that caused the trees to anticipate the solar eclipse. It’s possible, however, that the tree’s behavior may be a result of gravitational forces induced by the positioning of the Moon and Sun in the sky.
The revelation that trees can band together to prepare for eclipses reflects how plant life is more than meets the eye. Additional details on the powers of plants — especially their capacity to anticipate and adapt to environmental changes — have yet to be uncovered, which is why researchers are stressing the importance of preserving trees.
“This discovery underscores the critical importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience by preserving and transmitting invaluable ecological knowledge,” said Gagliano in a statement.
Read More: Disoriented Animals Behave Strangely During Total Solar Eclipses
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Royal Society Open Science. Bioelectrical synchronization of Picea abies during a solar eclipse
Bulletin of the AAS. Extraordinary Darkness: A Participatory Approach to Assessing Animal Behavior During Eclipses
Jack Knudson is an assistant editor at Discover with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and previously interned at Recycling Today magazine.
