Question

Some trees live to be several thousand years old (oldest is the Bristlecone Pine which is close to 5000 years old) while other plants and animals do not. What might allow a tree to be able to live for such a long time (of course - the living portion of the tree, not necessarily it's wood)? Give some of the variables that these trees might have as adaptations for this long life. Trees are also capable of growing throughout their lifetime. Compare the growth of a human and a tree - what tissues might be involved in each and what might limit the growth in a human vs. the tree? What advantages might there be for an organism to live a long life as well as having continual growth?

Answer 1

There are some trees which live many years and can be up to 5000 years like the bristlecone pine trees. The reason why they are able to live that long is because after certain point of their growth their growth and development tends to slow down. It tends to alter between stages of being dormant and active that progressively extends its lifespan. The trees are strong with the ability to adapt to the environment due to their ability to stand against drought, extreme climatic conditions and also are resistant to insects. As soon as the conditions become harsh, they enter the dormant phase and under favorable conditions, they are able to survive.

Some of the adaptations of the trees that help them to extend their lifetime is their ability to resist drought conditions as well as insect. The long and widespread extensive network of roots allows it to grow and absorb water.

There are different tissues in plants as well as humans that allow them to grow at different ratio and rate. Majorly in humans, the cells divide and as we mature the bones, skin and muscles increase in size which tends to increase the height. In humans there are majorly four types of tissues which are epithelial, muscle, connective and nervous tissues which are responsible for growth and development. In case of plants, there are meristems located at branch tips which are responsible for growth and development. The apical meristems and vascular cambium are responsible for increasing the growth and help in development. The vascular cambium produces the vascular bundles which are xylem and phloem which helps in transporting water and nutrients.