WonderFire ecology fact1,768 of 1,961

In serotinous lodgepole pines, resin can keep cones sealed until intense heat melts it, releasing stored seeds onto a newly opened, ash-rich landscape.

A seed bank with a fire lock

Why it matters

The idea in context

Fire is catastrophe at one timescale and opportunity at another. Some lodgepole pines hold viable seeds in resin-sealed cones high in the canopy; heat releases them when competitors have been cleared and sunlight reaches the ground. Not every tree or stand uses the strategy, which is precisely the point: evolution keeps multiple answers ready for an uncertain fire regime.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Serotinili bazı kıvrık çamlarda reçine, yoğun ısı onu eritene kadar kozalakları kapalı tutar; ardından depolanmış tohumlar açılmış, külce zengin alana yayılır.

Yangın kilitli bir tohum bankası

Yangın bir zaman ölçeğinde felaket, başka birinde fırsattır. Bazı kıvrık çamlar canlı tohumları tepede reçineyle mühürlü kozalaklarda saklar; ısı, rakipler temizlenip güneş zemine ulaştığında onları serbest bırakır. Her ağaç ya da topluluk bu stratejiyi kullanmaz; mesele de budur: evrim, belirsiz bir yangın düzenine karşı birden fazla yanıtı hazır tutar.

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Background reading: SerotinyAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.

Open in the iPhone app Editorial method

Next in the open archiveRafflesia arnoldii lives almost entirely inside a tropical vine as a parasite, emerging briefly to produce a vast carrion-scented flower.Q1820

In serotinous lodgepole pines, resin can keep cones sealed until intense heat melts it, releasing stored seeds onto a newly opened, ash-rich landscape.

The idea in context

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

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