Capital City Carvers

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Evergreen trees are pyramidal. Why?

Those who admire the shape of a Christmas tree might enjoy knowing that its shape has evolved in response to wind, snow, and light.

Evergreen trees - such as spruces, pines, and firs - are collectively known as conifers. The world's smallest and tallest trees are members of this family, and there are more than 550 species of conifers in all. Instead of having broad, flat leaves, conifers usually have needle-shaped or scale-like leaves. The shape of their leaves is an advantage because they often grow in climates that sometimes feature abrasive, blowing ice crystals.

But why are they shaped like pyramids? Although conifers grow across the globe (except in Antarctica), they're often found in places that have severe winters. So, an evergreen tree's shape helps keep wet, heavy snow off its upper branches.

Also, conifers tend to have shallow roots. They lack long, sturdy tap roots. Wind can sometimes knock them down. Their pyramidal shape reduces wind resistance and helps keep the trees standing upright.

Finally, a conifer's shape helps it get more light in places where daytime can be short. That is because the top branches of a pyramid-shaped tree don't shade the bottom branches. Conifers have layered branches, with an open area between the layers. This helps wind pass through, and it helps the tree get enough light, especially when sunlight comes in at a low angle, as it does during the winter months.

Do Woodpeckers Get Headaches?

When you hear a woodpecker hammering away for bugs hiding in tree bark, do you think about how the bird does this without turning its brain into jelly? There have been several studies trying to discover the methodology of those percussive pecks. Natural selection must favor adaptations making these pecks as loud as possible and their hammering as powerful as possible to dig out insects deep in the wood and excavate nesting and roosting cavities.

Some of these studies have led some engineers incorporate elements of woodpecker anatomy into football helmet designs. But, really, how well-protected is a woodpecker's brain? A study out of Boston University medical school in 2018 examined woodpecker and blackbird brain tissue for the protein associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players who had suffered repetitive traumatic brain injuries. They found that eight of the 10 woodpeckers examined tested positive for that protein, hyperphosphorylated tau, which is also implicated in some other non-reversible, degenerative conditions in humans such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. None of the 10 Red-Winged Blackbird brains examined showed evidence of that protein. Have woodpeckers developed a biochemical mechanism to counteract the effects of it?

A new study using slow-motion photography, shows that the woodpecker bill and skull are designed to work as a single unit, a "stiff hammer to enhance pecking performance, and not as a shock-absorbing system to protect the brain." Looking at specific markers, the study established that the bill and head stopped at exactly the same moment, both experiencing the same force of impact. It may be that much of the protection for a woodpecker's brain is due to what lies beneath the skull, possibly involving neck muscles, some part of the exceptionally well-developed hyoid apparatus that supports the long tongue by wrapping around the skull and reducing space in the cranium to decrease the chance of the brain sloshing around.