Tall Trees May Have Sparked Evolution of Gliding

The gliding animals of south-east Asia have something in common with the Himalayas. Both owe their existence to the collision of India with Eurasia around 50 million years ago. In the wake of the continental clash, tall tropical trees spread from the subcontinent and began to dominate Asian rainforests, providing a perfect environment for the evolution of gliding.

South-east Asia's rainforests are famed for their exceptional variety of gliders. Geckos, Draco lizards, flying squirrels, colugos and frogs have all taken to the skies, suggesting the adaptation evolved several times in the region. Now a study by Matthew Heinicke at the University of Michigan at Dearborn and colleagues has found evidence to support a link between the adaptation and the forests' unusual vegetation, which is dominated by dipterocarps – trees that grow unusually tall and typically mature to lack any branches on the lower 30 metres of their trunks.

"It makes more energy sense for a small animal to glide between trees than to climb all the way down one tree and then climb back up another," says Heinicke.

Heinicke and his colleagues looked at the evolutionary history of the animal groups that contain one or more gliding species. Their analysis suggests that gliding evolved independently eight times in the forests, and that six of those evolutionary events occurred between 20 million and 50 million years ago – the time during which dipterocarp trees were first able to spread from India across southeast Asia.

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Trees Need Constant Care, Especially During Summer

Monster Tree Service was featured in an article that discusses the founding of Monster Tree Service, which services Montgomery and Bucks county. Josh Skolnick, founder of Monster Tree Service, gives readers tips for protecting trees during the summer storm season and remind home owners the importance of tree upkeep to limit the damage caused by storms. The article also provides preventative tips, as well as what to do after a storm hits.

Who says money doesn't grow on trees?

What do trees and coins have in common you say? Coins have been mysteriously appearing in trunks up and down the UK country and have people talking! Read the full article posted on the U.K. website, mailonline.com.

Who says money doesn't grow on trees?
By: EMMA REYNOLDS

They say money doesn't grow on trees. But it certainly appears to do so on the mysterious coin-studded trunks dotted around the UK's woodland. The strange phenomenon of gnarled old trees with coins embedded all over their bark has been spotted on trails from the Peak District to the Scottish Highlands. The coins are usually knocked into felled tree trunks using stones by passers-by, who hope it will bring them good fortune. These fascinating spectacles often have coins from centuries ago buried deep in their bark and warped by the passage of time. The tradition of making offerings to deities at wishing trees dates back hundreds of years, but this combination of the man-made and the natural is far more rare.

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Madagascar's Bid to Save It's Majestic Baobab Trees

CNN posted an article about Madagascar's struggle to save the majestic baobab trees. Environmentalists are saying that activities like slash-and-burn agriculture and logging for timber and fuelwood and charcoal production are all destroying the island's beautiful rainforests and their endemic biodiversity. Read the full article here. 

Madagascar's bid to save its majestic baobab trees

By: By Errol Barnett and Teo Kermeliotis, CNN

With their unique shape and imposing stature, the majestic baobab trees have been an icon of Madagascar's landscape for centuries, unmovable symbols of the tropical island's luscious scenery.

Six out of the eight species of the long-lived tree are endemic to Madagascar, the island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa.

The stunning country is home to a rich ecosystem that boasts an incredible mosaic of animal and plant life evolved for tens of millions of years in complete isolation. As a result 90% of Madagascar's wildlife exists nowhere else on the planet.

In the midst of it all, the mighty baobab has stood tall for generations, its barrel-like trunk reaching a height of 18 meters.

Often described as "the upside down tree" due to its unusual shape -- the tree's branches look like roots sticking up in the air -- the baobab has sparked many legends throughout the centuries. An ancient myth has goes that when the gods planted the trees, they kept walking away so they placed them upside down.

Read related: Madagascar's 'lemur lady' on saving endangered animals

Communities in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, have long been benefiting from the deciduous trees -- their fruits are edible, their leaves are used for medicinal purposes, while their large trunks are often excavated to serve as shelters or store water during dry periods.

"There are many interactions with the life of community living around forest," explains botanist Jimmy Razafitsalama.

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