奇速英语

Lightning usually destroys (破坏) trees it hits. But scientists have found an amazing tree. It not only lives through lightning strikes (击中) but actually grows better because of them!

For years, scientists thought lightning was only bad for trees. But as they explored places like the Amazon rainforest, they started to think there could be trees that fight against lightning. It wasn’t until about 100 years ago that such “super trees” were discovered. Now, they know of a tree that uses lightning’s power to kill nearby trees and get more sunlight and nutrients (营养) for itself.

In 2015, scientist Evan Gora saw a Dipteryx oleifera tree, which had been struck by strong lightning. It wasn’t badly harmed while the neighboring trees were killed. Scientists thought this tree could handle lightning, but there was no way to be sure.

Gora and his team saw more of these trees that grew well after lightning strikes. So, they did a study. They followed 93 trees struck by lightning for 2—6 years. They found that all 9 Dipteryx oleifera trees in the study survived with little harm. But 84 other trees were badly hurt, and 64% of them died within two years.

These Dipteryx oleifera trees are very tall and have wide tops, making them 68% more likely to be struck by lightning than other trees. During the study, one of the Dipteryx trees was struck twice in 5 years yet continued to grow well.

At present, more studies suggest that these trees attract (吸引) lightning on purpose to destroy other trees and grow better. Scientists are not sure how these trees survive lightning, but they guess it may involve the trees’ ability to carry electricity. They are also interested in other trees with similar characteristics.