How an underground fungal map of the world's oldest, slowest-growing rainforest trees can boost Earth's resilience
The temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range are home to a spectacular array of life: iridescent blue lizards, tiny wild cats called kodkods, and curly vines of waxy red bellflowers. Towering over this biodiversity are endangered ancient conifers, called alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), whose...
Image: Phys.org
The temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range are home to a spectacular array of life: iridescent blue lizards, tiny wild cats called kodkods, and curly vines of waxy red bellflowers. Towering over this biodiversity are endangered ancient conifers, called alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), whose trunks can get as wide as shipping containers. These alerce forests show exceptionally low mortality and grow slowly—one tree lived more than 3,600 years.
Originally published at Phys.org
