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Invisible a écrit :
> Trees are really land coral.
>
> OK, that sounded pretty random. Here me out.
>
> Coral is a layer of living goo coating a lump of dead limestone. The
> coral grows by adding more limestone to the surface.
>
> I know almost nothing about tree biology. However, I hypothesize that
> the wood inside a tree is actually dead (but not inert), and it is only
> the bark which is actually alive and growing. The wood is fiberous, and
> so conducts liquid and nutrients around the place, but it is the bark
> itself which forms a living skin over the dead wood underneith, and it
> is the bark that grows by adding new layers of wood.
>
Basically, yes, this is correct. But trees also grow from their buds, so
the overall functionning is more complex. Also, I don't think corals get
much nutrients from the soil, and of course they don't have to mine for
water either ;-)
In fact cells in trees are more specialized than individuals from a
coral colony. But there are indeed similarities in the principle...
> Corollary: Do corals have growth rings?
Yes they do. Google is your friend too :-)
http://www.niwa.co.nz/news-and-publications/publications/all/wa/12-4/coral
--
Vincent
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