As of: March 27, 2024, 4:50 a.m
By: Helmi Krappitz, Nico Reiter
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A plant that converts its own leaves into sources of nutrients has been discovered.
A phenomenon that science does not yet fully understand.
Urbana – Scientists are discovering previously unknown species of animals and plants not only on land, but also in water.
One such case occurred in the rainforests of Panama, where a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana came across a remarkable plant that they dubbed a “zombie plant.”
This plant, whose leaves do not die as usual, has not only captivated the researchers involved.
“Couldn’t believe it”: Fern in Panama feeds on withered leaves
The “zombie plant,” also known as Cyathea rojasiana, is the first known plant species to convert dead tissue into a new source of nutrients.
Plant biologist Jim Dalling first discovered tree ferns with 1.80 meter long leaves in the western Panamanian rainforests.
The unusual thing about these plants was that when they died, the leaves tended towards the earth and covered the plant like a skirt.
“I was trying to get these things out of the way, and I realized that they were rooted in the ground,” Dalling told the New York Times.
Even though, as a professor and forest ecologist at the University of Illinois, he was actually looking for a completely different plant, he could hardly believe his eyes.
“I couldn't really believe what I was seeing,” said Dalling, describing his reaction.
The remains of the fern's leaves were brown and appeared to be withered, but they were still connected to the plant.
So the leaves were not revived, but repurposed.
“Zombie Plant”: Plants wither but form new roots
The University of Illinois researchers found that the fern changes the inner part of its dead and dying leaves.
New fine roots grow from the tips of the leaves, which penetrate the soil and supply the mother plant with nitrogen.
This was reported in a study published in the journal
Ecology
.
The midrib of the leaf changes and forms new vascular tissue.
This transformation prevents rotting while the rest of the leaf withers.
Hence the name “zombie plant”.
Plants have to get creative in volcanic soil
Although the exact biochemical process is not yet known, the volcanic soil could be the reason for the fern's uniqueness.
Panama is “the result of volcanic activity in the past,” Dalling explained in a University of Illinois press release.
“In one spot we discovered, a layer of volcanic ash several meters thick looks like sand you would dig up on a sandy beach.
The plants that grow there are different from those we find elsewhere in this forest reserve.” Plants there have to be creative to get nutrients.
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It's important to take time to explore and appreciate nature, Colgate University professor Eddie Watkins emphasized to the New York Times.
He was not involved in the research.
“I've never seen anything like this before,” Robbin Moran, a fern expert and curator emeritus at the New York Botanical Garden, told the US newspaper.
Research must continue to understand such biological processes.
Even as we grow, nature plans for all possible scenarios.
“If you stop and look at the organism, there are some really new and cool things out there,” Watkins said.
“There are stories to tell that we haven’t discovered yet.” New flora is also constantly being discovered in Germany.
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