4 ms·

Just wondering...what percentage of trees display this behavior? I have never seen this in my neck of the woods.

• throwup238 3y ago
  The best estimate I can give you is "not many" but it hasn't been exhaustively studied, especially with tens of thousands of tree species. I would like to point out though that crown shyness is a lot easier to observe in monoculture forests that were replanted after logging. A diverse forest with lots of trees is really hard to observe tree shyness in because it's a specific adaptation between members of one or a few species. If they're standing next to another species that doesn't cooperate, the shyness might not be readily visible. It's also not universal, which is why it's increasingly believed to be some sort of stress response. One patch of trees in a forest may exhibit it while another patch of the exact same species a few hundred feet away might not. It might even be the case that this is an old adaptation that most trees are capable of but no longer need.
  • qp11 3y ago
    Makes sense. Thanks!
  • thriftwy 3y ago
    My experience with winter forests is that almost all trees display shyness when without leaves.
• scotty79 3y ago
  Trees that display crown shyness patterns include: * Species of Dryobalanops, including Dryobalanops lanceolata and Dryobalanops aromatica (kapur) * Some species of eucalypt * Pinus contorta or lodgepole pine * Avicennia germinans or black mangrove * Schefflera pittieri * Clusia alata * K. Paijmans observed crown shyness in a multi-species group of trees, comprising Celtis spinosa and Pterocymbium beccarii