LOS ALAMOS, N.M.(KRQE) – Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) published surprising findings about how native plants respond to drought. Researchers studying the water usage of piñon pine and juniper have found that piñon trees have the ability to change how they drink water when rain is scarce.
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It’s a behavior never studied before in plants, and it could mean that our forests are more resilient than previously thought. “There’s a lot that we don’t understand yet. Even if there are papers out there that say piñon juniper forests will die in 2030 or 2050. Something like that. But those models don’t take this into account,” says Sanna Sevanto, LANL senior researcher.
Sevanto also believes that this plant behavior may be bred into our own crops, making them more productive during droughts.
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