Zlinszky and Barfod explain their theory in the new study published in the journal Plant Signaling and Behavior.
“In classical plant physiology, most transport processes are explained as constant flows with negligible fluctuation over time,” Zlinszky told New Scientist. “No variation with periods of less than 24 hours is assumed or explained by current models. “
But researchers still don’t fully understand how the “pumping” movement works. They may suggest that the trunk gently presses the water, pushing it up through the xylem, a tissue system in the trunk whose main job is to transport water and nutrients from the roots to the shoots and leaves.
In 2016, Zlinszky and his team published another study showing that birches “fell asleep” at night.
Researchers believe that the fall of birch branches before dawn is caused by a decrease in the internal pressure of the tree. In the absence of nocturnal photosynthesis to convert the sun’s rays into simple sugars, trees probably conserve energy by relaxing branches that would otherwise be oriented towards the sun.
These birch movements are circadian, following the day-night cycle.
Their new discovery is something completely different, they say, because the movements occur at much shorter intervals.
