Interesting Biomechanics

[Arob]

Here are a couple which are benefitting from a bit of a rest, (have already posted the pic of the beech in amazing trees of the world, but make no apologies for posting again here).

[David Humphries]

Most excellent, Arob.

 

Never tire from seeing images of the wonders of nature.

 

Great shots

 

 

.

[coolie]

get a room

 

[Giles Hill]

Very amusing and also interesting that one - i.e. comparing the 'biomechanical' growth of same species with mixed species.

 

I guess the branch stub would have stayed alive and smoothly grafted to the other stem if they were the same species, but instead it looks like a fellating ent!

[BatiArb]

Well, at the risk of truning the thread into an amusing photo display......

 

Remind you of anything ??????????

[David Humphries]

Well, at the risk of truning the thread into an amusing photo display......

 

Remind you of anything ??????????

 

 

The Weeping Willow (?) in the background doesn't ring any bells

 

From yesterday?

 

 

You may need to divulge a tad more info

 

 

 

 

.

[Giles Hill]

David,

 

Forget weeping willows and look at it again and think 'perky puppies'.

[Giles Hill]

Warm ones.

[Amelanchier]

Such natural grafting appears particularly prevalent on trees that we consider to be prone to branch or limb failure due to week forks or branch attachment. So it then has to be asked whether the structural weaknesses within these crown forms is a result of the trees tendency for weak attachment or whether a history of over diligent pruning by a short sighted human has compromised the trees ability to optimise its own structural form.

 

I don't know about that Andrew. We only have to look back through the pic on this thread to see Oak and Plane self graft (or inosculate if we want the botanical term), not typically know for their propensity for limb failure.

 

I see this as an oppourtunistic adaptation that is expressed more in longer lived species by virtue of probability. There is a concept in evolutionary biology - exaptation, used to describe the selection of a side effect of a trait which alters the functions (and usually the expressed form) of that trait.

 

It's a more successful strategy to fuse the tissues together of two competitive branches than to have one 'win' at the expense of the other. Why not keep both if you can? Trees that inosculate easily would also have a structural advantage - increasing their longevity and subsequently their frequency in the population and their reproductive output.

 

I'd agree that we should reconsider the removal of crossing branches. I've never thought it necessary. Let the tree decide what it needs and it will kill off the parts that don't pull their weight by cladoptosis. The same goes for 'duplicated' branches, by the way - whats that about? Isn't all pruning wounding?

 

Perhaps we might even try encouraging inosculation by localised removal of corky phelloderm and the strapping of nearby limbs in place?

[Will Hinchliffe]

Well, at the risk of truning the thread into an amusing photo display......

 

Remind you of anything ??????????

 

Fantastic!!!!