A multi-year study in the tropical forests of the Panama Canal found that the species most frequently damaged by lightning tended to be the most capable of surviving it.
A multi-year study in the tropical forests of the Panama Canal found that the species most frequently damaged by lightning tended to be the most capable of surviving it.
Sheltering under a tall tree during a thunderstorm is not a great idea, given that lightning often strikes the tallest thing around. However, we may not think much about the fate of the trees themselves, at least not as much as a team of scientists whose research on the effects of lightning on tropical forests was recently published in Nature Plants.
Combining the expertise of lightning scientists and tropical field biologists —including Steve Yanoviak, a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute from the University of Louisville, Jeannine Richards, a former postdoctoral fellow in his lab, and Evan Gora, a Smithsonian Tupper Fellow and former student in the Yanoviak lab— the study looked into the effects of lightning strikes on the Panama Canal forests of the Barro Colorado Nature Monument for several years.
Read more at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Photo Credit: fietzfotos via Pixabay
