Comment on ms paint tree
phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 1 day agoEven in baobab forest pictures they seem far enough apart for sunlight not to be an issue. I’d hazard either an environmental or animal caused adaptation (but I can’t seem to find anything about why).
I’d also say for forests in general “crown shyness” means if they get similar enough height they usually avoid one another rather than compete.
DarkSirrush@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Aren’t baobabs absolutely ancient species of trees?
It could be that they evolved before trees figured shit out, and just… Never needed to change after that.
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
Generally nature doesn’t keep doing a useless thing if there’s no longer any need to do it. Energy efficiency is a constant selective pressure in the absence of all other challenges.
My bet is that baobabs are shaped that way for very good reasons. The fact that the trees are spaced far apart even in baobab forests is a clue: the environment is very harsh, especially on saplings.
Since baobabs reproduce via many fruits and since they can be spaced very far apart my hypothesis is that they evolved to be very tall with featureless trunks in order to attract fruit-eating birds to carry their seeds. The tall and featureless trunks would make the trees difficult for ground-dwelling predators to climb, keeping the birds and their nests safe from attack.
I believe leopards are fairly common in these areas and they love to climb trees, although they prefer ones with lower, wider branches they rest on and even eat their prey within. Leopards have been known to carry large prey such as gazelles up into the branches of a tree to protect their kill from being stolen.
assa123@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
But energy efficiency is not always a challenge. See for example the vague nerve in giraffes, the appendix in humans or limbs in whales.