Bark Protects Buds From Fire

various shades of light brown, yellow, and dark red make smooth swirling shapes in a close up image of eucalyptus bark

Biological Strategy

Eucalyptus

AskNature Team

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Protect From Fire

Depending on location, fire can be either predictable or unpredictable. In some areas, fires occur in cycles ranging from annual to hundreds of years. Where fire is cyclic, living systems must be able to not only survive fire, but to quickly recover following it. For example, pine trees that live in areas with periodic fires have thick bark that provides insulation, thereby protecting the tree’s living tissue.

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Flowering Plants

Clade Angiosperms (“receptacle seed”): Dandelions, oaks, grasses, cacti, apples

With 416 families containing some 300,000 known species, angiosperms are the most diverse group of plants, and they can be found around the globe in a wide variety of habitats. They are characterized by seeds that grow enclosed in ovaries, which are enclosed in flowers. The floral organs then develop into fruits of myriad kinds and dimensions, from simple seed casings on maples to elaborate fleshy growths like papayas. The oldest flower known from fossils, Montsechia vidalii, appeared during the Jurassic Period 130 million years ago. They are the primary food source for herbivorous animals, which in turn makes them the indirect food source for carnivores as well.

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Some eucalyptus trees protect their dormant, vegetative buds from fire via thick bark.

“In most angiosperm trees dormant epicormic buds are present in the outer bark, a position where they could be killed by fire. By contrast, in eucalypts the greatest epicormic bud initiation potential is at the level of the vascular cambium, which is protected by the maximum bark thickness. This might explain the pronounced ability of eucalypts to produce bole and branch epicormic shoots after moderate to intense fire.” (Burrows 2002:111)

Last Updated August 18, 2016

References

Journal article

Epicormic strand structure in Angophora, Eucalyptus and Lophostemon (Myrtaceae)- implications for fire resistance and recovery

Burrows, G. E.

Other Biological Strategies

Biological Strategy

Underground Storage Swelling Enables Regeneration

The lignotuber of Eucalyptus kochii plenissima allows it to regenerate after being destroyed by storing energy reserves and potential bud-forming sites.

long thin green leaves come off of skinny red branches with bright white flowers and red buds on this jarrah tree

Biological Strategy

Dormant Buds Ensure Fire Survival

Jarrah

Epicormic buds of jarrah help the trees survive fire by remaining dormant until extreme heat triggers their growth.

a forest grows along the edge of a river in brazil

Biological Strategy

Surviving in Fire-prone Areas

Tropical fire ecology

Tropical gallery forest patches located in the midst of fire-prone savannas resist burning due to changes in fuel characteristics at the forest boundary, moisture levels, and the presence of fire-adapted species adjacent to the savanna.