Pollards, the forgotten art-discussion

skyhuck · December 25, 2009

Blimey sky thats a long reply for you aint it!

your first point is a goodun, and i see where your coming from. Everything in life is finite, we all grow old, although at various times and durations. trees are no exception, they too suffer from old age and physical limitations. my point is that they have co evolved strategies, that thier evolution is dual, with fungi, from the very begining. in other words, they havent evolved uninfluenced as a single unit. the tree and fungi are so entwined and have been for ever and ever, alan rayner suggests that if you was to take a tree and was able to totaly eliminate, as it stands all biological material of the tree you would be left with the same outline in ghostly mycological relief, due to the fact that fungi are so, colonised within its system they effectivley are the tree.

There is a limit to how big how tall and how heavey one can grow as a tree, genetics, biotic forces and nutrient avaliability within reach of your also limited root explorations.

without fungi, the tree would not have the facilities to go on indefinatley, retrenchment would not be as feasable and the biotic forces of nature woukd bring about the end of a tree far sooner than is cleary the case.

So fungi, in so many ways, even some of the supposedly major decayers are in fact not only assiting the tree but giving it the potential of eternal life, which from the fungis point of view has considerable benifits!

"if you give me food and shelter, i will give you imortality and in turn also have eternal life"

it is a very benificial and mutualy rewarding situation.

As I said in an earlier post, the complexity of the relationship between the tree and the fungus can be better explained by an attack and defense battle, than some sort of partnership.

As for the limitations on size and age, we can only look at trees that have evolved will under attack from fungi, so we have no way of knowing what evolutionary path may have been taken without that pressure.

In the states trees have reached enormous size and age, perhaps the climate there is less favorable to fungus, giving trees an edge.

Tony Croft aka hamadryad · December 25, 2009

As I said in an earlier post, the complexity of the relationship between the tree and the fungus can be better explained by an attack and defense battle, than some sort of partnership.

As for the limitations on size and age, we can only look at trees that have evolved will under attack from fungi, so we have no way of knowing what evolutionary path may have been taken without that pressure.

In the states trees have reached enormous size and age, perhaps the climate there is less favorable to fungus, giving trees an edge.

Seqioua is very resistant to decay, intersting point, but there is an upper limit to age and size, i would have to have a better look at the work of steve sillet