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Trees use circadian genes to time photosynthesis and reproduction – but as temperatures rise, the clocks may not work as well
By Christie Taylor
3 April 2024
Nothofagus pumilio trees growing in Patagonia
Album/Alamy
Nothofagus pumilio trees growing in Patagonia
Album/Alamy
The higher temperatures brought on by global warming can disrupt trees’ ability to track time, with potential consequences for their capacity to sequester carbon or even survive.
Climate change is already disturbing the timings of events in ecosystems by shuffling migrations, breeding, and food cycles that have historically been intricately coordinated. But like humans and other animals, plants have a genetic ability to track time that functions independently of their ecosystems.
María Verónica Arana at Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council…
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