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What networks do
What’s that? A very close view of the network of an aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaf. The entire image is 1.3 mm x 1.0 mm. The little circular structures between the veins are individual cell walls! This network looks very different than the one I showed you last time. It branches and reconnects with itself in…
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Skeletons
It’s almost Halloween, so I thought I’d show you a skeleton I found in the forest recently: Leaf skeletons are rare things to find in such a well-preserved condition. Sometimes I see them in cold streams where microbes or invertebrates have slowly eaten them away. This one is from the floor of the Biosphere 2…
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A summer in the mountains
What are economics to a plant? I told you last time that plant leaves need to be profitable – they should gain more carbon over their life span then they cost to build. If this wasn’t true there would be no plants, because plants are mostly carbon! But is this economic situation the same in…
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Peering into a leaf
Why do some plants lose their leaves in autumn, and others not? Plants make leaves to to capture energy from the sun and transform it into chemicals that the plant can use for growth and reproduction. But leaves aren’t free – they cost the plant a large amount of resources to build and maintain. So…
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