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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Effects Of Lightning On Trees: A Predictive Model Based On In Situ Electrical Resistivity, Evan M. Gora, Phillip M. Bitzer, Jeffrey C. Burchfield, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Stephen P. Yanoviak
Effects Of Lightning On Trees: A Predictive Model Based On In Situ Electrical Resistivity, Evan M. Gora, Phillip M. Bitzer, Jeffrey C. Burchfield, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Stephen P. Yanoviak
Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications
The effects of lightning on trees range from catastrophic death to the absence of observable damage. Such differences may be predictable among tree species, and more generally among plant life history strategies and growth forms. We used field‐collected electrical resistivity data in temperate and tropical forests to model how the distribution of power from a lightning discharge varies with tree size and identity, and with the presence of lianas. Estimated heating density (heat generated per volume of tree tissue) and maximum power (maximum rate of heating) from a standardized lightning discharge differed 300% among tree species. Tree size and morphology …