Albino Redwoods, Ghosts of the Forest: Science on the SPOT

Pale ghosts that hide amidst their gigantic siblings, only a few dozen Albino redwood trees are known to exist. They are genetic mutants that lack the chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis-- how and why they survive is a scientific mystery. QUEST ventures into the deep canopy of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park near Felton, California to track down these elusive phantoms of the forest.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

Redwoods are remarkably resilient, and unlike any other tree on earth with their amazing properties and characteristics (and I'm not even referring to the size or height). I can't understand how human beings could be dumb enough to cut down an old growth Redwood tree, let alone clear cut a Redwood forest.

[@Sjalabais]

This was so well done. I'm quoting from another article here:
"He found that the albino needles were saturated with what should have been a deadly cocktail of cadmium, copper and nickel. On average, white needles contained twice as many parts per million of these noxious heavy metals as their green counterparts; some had enough metals to kill them ten times over. Moore thinks faulty stomata - the pores through which plants exhale water - are responsible: plants that lose liquid faster must also drink more, meaning that the albino trees have twice as much metal-laden water running through their systems."
...meaning these "offspring that sit on the sofa" may have a role in sucking up pollution, protecting its siblings.

[@twelge15]

So they said "here in Henry Cowell State Park" and I'm thinking it's up in Humboldt County. I look on Google maps and.......holy crap!! It's 4 miles up the road from where I am in Santa Cruz!? What!? I have to do some camping real soon!

[@Anonymoose]

Fascinating! And that's the key: "They will survive, if we let them survive."
IOW... "If the human race doesn't destroy them first..."

[@JoshTalbot]

Has anyone considered that this might be a beneficial adaptation. Why should the host tree bother to expend the energy for the albino offspring to produce chlorophyl if the daughter tree is unlikely to photosynthesize much down in the dark undergrowth? Perhaps after the host dies the albino could sense that death and through some chemical signaling start producing its own chlorophyl. Have we ever witnessed the death of an "albino" tree's host to see how they fare afterwards?

[@5thDragonDreamCaster]

They are thought to help remove heavy metals from the soil, so maybe in exchange for nutrients, the 'host' tree gets cleaner soil.

[@coolchild2001]

such a beautiful little documentary haha.. i loved it !

[@mandrei99]

I'm lucky enough to have germinated one sempervirens with partial albinism. 1 month old now.

[@keyvanamoli2849]

i wish i could walk in a redwood forest, but as an Iranian i don't think that i will :( damn politicians. god bless you all for your great work

[@AlexCab_49]

Keyvan Amoli Someday you will, hopefully.

[@Justin-tp1mx]

they're not that different than any other forests with ferns and stuff

[@thanalincoln]

@@Justin-tp1mx tallest trees in the world

[@qualqui]

Much obliged for the trust and confidence ya have in us,....we all must care for Mother Earth, she's home to a very wide range of diverse organisms! Thumbs up and thankin' ya for the COOL Share! =)

[@nmspain7125]

Isn’t nature wondrously miraculous! 🤗😍

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

By the way, the town is called Felton, not Fulton.

[@macsigo]

AGREE 100%

[@coolchild2001]

@sgreddin LMFAO i loled so hard.

[@qualqui]

ROFLMAO!!! XD

[@Lea-zh4ev]

JMCMB

[@calibound218]

Its caused by heavy metals. Just like the evolution of the caucasus light skinned gene thats evolution coincides with metal ages, colonized diet of wheat dairy and domesticated livestock.
This is in no way to offend anyone but something we need to learn from. Pollution and disease, mutations, recessive genetic traits etc.

[@MrMosby83]

JMCMB

[@tanguyduquesne3052]

JMCMB