When walking through the woods or a jungle have you looked up at the treetops and see a thing breaking line between different treetops? It is amazing how every tree manages to stay away from each other as if they are shy.
This is how the term ‘crown shyness‘ came into existence. This term explains this phenomenon that can be seen on forest canopies. It actually has an interesting theory of why it is the way it is. A study for this behavior of the trees was started as early as the 1920s. Scroll down to read more on this interesting theory.
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If you look up at the treetops from a forest floor when the sun is high, you will see these breaking lines where the sunlight seeps into the forest. After a while of studying and research, scientists have come up with multiple theories that might be the reason for this behavior.
One theory is that the winds that sway the trees might have bumped and brushed the branches against each other and have created a cushioning space for the treetops to sway without any collision.
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Another theory is that this is a natural precaution taken by nature itself. It can protect its flora by fragmenting the forest canopy so that the insects, fungi, and other harmful things cannot spread through the canopy if it isn’t a connected structure.
Even though these theories have found no way to be scientifically proven, they are commonly accepted theories. Whatever it is, this pattern within the forest canopy is amazing.
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Please let us know what you think about this in the comments section.
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