Trees make noise when they are thirsty

Trees make different noises when they are thirsty and extremely parched, according to scientists from Grenoble University in France.

They are known to make sounds related to other processes so, in 2013, researchers decided to try and isolate the thirst-related ones based on an understanding of how trees typically draw water in.

National Geographic has compared the process to "essentially...drinking from a really long 'straw.'"

Tree trunks contain tube structures called xylem which are able to pull water upward through attractive forces at the cellular and molecular level.

However, as the amount of available water decreases, air bubbles can get introduced into the inner tubes and potentially threaten the health of the tree.

So scientists designed a special microphone to capture and record these air bubble sounds which are not naturally detectable to the human ear.

One goal they envisioned was to equip forest experts with these devices so that trees could be monitored for potential thirst and be treated as needed.

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