Scientists Discover a New Type of Wood That Could Help Fight Climate Change
About 250 million years ago, the trees that dominated the undulating lands of Earth had “naked seeds.” Then, around 135 to 200 million years ago, as dinosaurs roamed the planet relying on these trees as their prehistoric salad bar, they unknowingly made a fascinating contribution. As their jaws, with heavy batteries of chewing power, put pressure on these plants, they started releasing toxins as a defense mechanism. Over time, these toxins resulted in the evolution of the plants’ female reproductive organs, according to a 2008 study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society. Later, scientists named the earlier softwood trees gymnosperms and the latter hardwood-bearing trees angiosperms.
In a new 2024 study published in New Phytologist, a team of scientists discovered a mysterious type of wood called “midwood” that is neither softwood nor hardwood. This peculiar wood species has been found to have a “carbon-hungry” attitude, which means it could become a brilliant volunteer in managing the climate crisis. Softwoods, a.k.a. gymnosperms, are known to grow faster than hardwoods, a.k.a. angiosperms. Angiosperms are flowering plants with seeds enclosed in fruits, whereas gymnosperms are non-flowering plants with seeds lingering naked, as observed in conifers, cycads, and gingkoes.
For the most part, scientists believed that these were the only two types of wood that trees had. The latest study shattered this assumption as a new candidate called “midwood” came to attention. The team investigated “microfibrils,” the basic chemical that makes up the material of wood. These are secondary walls layered atop the primary cell walls. They are the ones that determine the innate and core structure of a tree and also contain most of the wood biomass inside the tree. Researchers analyzed around 33 species of trees, including softwoods like pines and conifers, and hardwoods like oak and birch, to unfurl this discovery.
The “midwood” was discovered inside a type of tulip tree, also known by names like Liriodendron and yellow poplar. The tree, whose wood is recruited for the construction of things like canoes, toys, home interiors, pianos, and guitars, was found to be a “top performer in carbon capture.” The team noticed that this tree possessed an unusually high “carbon-hungry attitude,” which made it the king of carbon sequestration. The tree was traced back to 30 to 50 million years ago, way back to the genus of Magnolia, an ornamental flowering plant, which is one of the oldest surviving plants known for its beauty.
Biochemists Jan Łyczakowski of Jagiellonian University in Poland and Raymond Wightman of Cambridge University in the UK thoroughly examined the wood of this tree to conclude that it had the potential to contribute new and advanced methods for carbon storage. "Tulip trees may end up being useful for carbon capture plantations. Some East Asian countries are already using Liriodendron plantations to efficiently lock in carbon, and we now think this might be related to its novel wood structure," Łyczakowski explained in a press release. The species evolved when carbon dioxide dramatically increased in the atmosphere. “Next time you visit a botanic garden, remember that there are still many mysteries hidden in the plant kingdom, waiting to be discovered,” Lyczzakowski told The Conversation.
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