Trees sense solar eclipses before they happen
A study found that trees both reacted to, and prepared for a solar eclipse, leading scientists to learn how the trees may be connected to one another.
A spruce tree with wires attached. to measure electrical activity. (Zenith Audiovisual Arts)
When the sky suddenly darkens during a solar eclipse, animals often change their behavior. New research shows that trees respond too — and they may even sense the eclipse coming.
A paper published in the Royal Society of Open Science on April 30 describes the research on what author Alessandro Chiolerio and Monica Gagliano calls "bioelectrical synchronization."
Scientists placed sensors on spruce trees in northern Italy to track their natural electrical signals during the solar eclipse on Oct. 25, 2022. These signals, called bioelectrical impulses, flow through all living things. In trees, they help control water flow, growth and even communication.
Researchers Alessandro Chiolerio and Monica Gagliano with trees in the field in the Dolomites, Italy. (Simone Cargnoni)
The trees didn’t just react to the eclipse—they showed changes in their signals hours before it began. As the eclipse approached, all three trees started syncing up electrically, even though they were different ages and in different spots.
The sun as seen through trees over the skies of Bristol during a partial solar eclipse Tuesday October 25, 2022. (Ben Birchall/ PA Images / Getty Images)
Sensors on nearby tree stumps, remnants of older trees destroyed in a storm, showed similar changes. That suggests the entire forest was responding together, almost like one connected system. Scientists think older trees may store “ecological memory," a kind of natural awareness of past events like eclipses, and possibly pass that knowledge to younger trees through shared signals.
This adds to growing evidence that trees communicate in complex ways and behave more like networks than isolated organisms.
The study took place in the Dolomites, a mountain range revered for its beauty worldwide.
The location of the study was the Dolomites in Italy. (Zenith Audiovisual Arts)
While eclipses are rare for humans, they’re not rare in the life span of a tree. In fact, the forest may be tuned into these cycles more than humans realized. These discoveries show how older forests support the entire ecosystem and why protecting them could help forests survive future changes.
Ali Reid contributed to this article.
Report a Typo
