How the giant sequoia tree protects itself

Date:
June 17, 2020
Source:
University of Freiburg
Summary:
A three-dimensional network of fibers makes the bark resistant to
fire and rock fall.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) has developed effective
strategies to protect itself against external influences in its natural environment in the Sierra Nevada. Its bark ensures that the tree survives
wild fires and rock fall almost unscathed. Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck from
the Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS), working with Dr.

Georg Bold and Max Langer of the Institute of Biology, have examined
the structural properties of its bark in detail for the first time. The University of Freiburg team has shown that the bark fibers form a three-dimensional network with cavities. This network distributes energy
acting on the bark across the entire tissue. The results of their study
have been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.


==========================================================================
The outer bark of the sequoia tree contains many fibers, which are
organized in fiber bundles. These cross over each other and are also
layered on top of each other, creating a three-dimensional netted
structure. In between the fiber bundles are air-filled cavities. When
a rock strikes the bark, these cavities are compressed. Compressing
the hollow spaces and stretching the fiber network has the effect of distributing the energy evenly over the bark and protecting the inside
of the tree with the sensitive cambium that forms wood and bark. The bark
later returns almost completely to its original state. The cavities also insulate the tree so that it is resistant to the heat generated during
wild fires.

Due to this structure, the bark of the sequoia tree behaves like an
open-pored foam similar to the foam used in the construction of cars and houses, for example. On the basis of their findings, the researchers
are, among others, to develop with colleagues from the University of
Stuttgart a new type of light weight concrete with bundles of hollow
fibers, which could be used to insulate and to better protect buildings
against earthquakes, for example.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Freiburg. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Georg Bold, Max Langer, Laura Bo"rnert, Thomas Speck. The
Protective Role
of Bark and Bark Fibers of the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron
giganteum) during High-Energy Impacts. International Journal of
Molecular Sciences, 2020; 21 (9): 3355 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21093355 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200617102437.htm

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