United They Stand
Muse Science Magazine for Kids|April 2023
TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF REDWOOD TREES SEEM TO HELP EACH OTHER SURVIVE.
Abha and Deepa Jain
United They Stand

One wet winter's day, high school student Zane Moore strolled through the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Northern California. He watched raindrops splatter the green leaves and the brown trunks of coastal redwoods. Then his jaw dropped. In a ring of dark redwoods shone a solitaire, a tiny tree so "vibrant white," Moore says, that it shocked him. A white tree that wasn't covered in snow? How was this possible? Now a graduate student in botany at the University of California, Davis, Moore has been working to understand the answer to this question.

Pearls in the Forest

Forests of thousands of coastal redwoods cover the mountains of Northern California and Oregon. They almost look like deep green seas. But concealed beneath this canopy, along the forest margins, are about 400 smaller, paler trees. These are "albino" redwoods. "Most begin as sprouts or twigs arising directly from a parent tree," says Jarmila Pittermann. She's a plant biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Albino redwoods look the way they do because they have a problem making chlorophyll. That's the pigment that gives leavescalled needles in redwoods and other conifers-their typical green color. Some redwoods cannot make any chlorophyll. This gives their needles a snow-white color. Other albino redwoods produce just a tiny amount of chlorophyll. Their needles' hues range from creamy yellow to light green.

Color isn't the only difference, though, between albino redwoods and their green buddies. The pale trees are pretty puny, growing to a maximum of 60 feet (18 meters). That may seem tall, but it's four times shorter than an average green-leaved redwood. With a typical height of about 240 feet (73 meters), green redwoods are the tallest trees in the world.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2023 من Muse Science Magazine for Kids.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2023 من Muse Science Magazine for Kids.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من MUSE SCIENCE MAGAZINE FOR KIDS مشاهدة الكل
A Mars Rock Found With Leopard Spots Could Be a Sign of Ancient Life
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

A Mars Rock Found With Leopard Spots Could Be a Sign of Ancient Life

IN JULY, NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER CAME ACROSS A SPOTTED ROCK IN WHAT WAS ONCE A RIVERBED IN THE JEZERO CRATER ON MARS.

time-read
1 min  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
Para Athlete Uses Exoskeleton Suit to Carry the Olympic Torch
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

Para Athlete Uses Exoskeleton Suit to Carry the Olympic Torch

In July, a 36-year-old French tennis para athlete, Kevin Piette, got a chance to participate in this summer’s Olympic torch relay without using a wheelchair.

time-read
1 min  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
Ancient Egyptians May Have Used a Water System to Lift Stones to Build Pyramid
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

Ancient Egyptians May Have Used a Water System to Lift Stones to Build Pyramid

HOW ANCIENT EGYPTIANS BUILT THE MASSIVE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS AGO HAS LONG BEEN A TOPIC OF WONDER AND DEBATE.

time-read
1 min  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
Seals Can Make Big Dives Thanks to Their Big Hearts
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

Seals Can Make Big Dives Thanks to Their Big Hearts

SEALS AND SEA LIONS, WHICH ARE SEMI-AQUATIC MAMMALS, CAN HOLD THEIR BREATHS UNDERWATER FOR ESPECIALLY LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

time-read
1 min  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
THE BIG-CITY LIFE OF STEVEN J.BIKE SHOP RABBIT IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

THE BIG-CITY LIFE OF STEVEN J.BIKE SHOP RABBIT IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Bicycle Roots is a full-service bike shop. It's in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Joe Lawler is the co-owner and service manager. Perhaps more important, he's \"dad\" to the shop's most popular employee. That's Steven J. Lawler.

time-read
1 min  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
Wild Ones
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

Wild Ones

WHAT FACTORS DRIVE PEOPLE TO BUY MONKEYS, TIGERS, AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS?

time-read
3 mins  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
HOW TO CONQUER THE WORLD
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

HOW TO CONQUER THE WORLD

A brief history

time-read
4 mins  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
What would happen if meteors hit Earth?
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

What would happen if meteors hit Earth?

You may have seen Ameteors fly into Earth's atmosphere, in the form of shooting stars.

time-read
2 mins  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
WORKING WORMS
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

WORKING WORMS

DON'T JUST THROW THOSE TABLE SCRAPS AWAY! LET A BOX OF WORMS TURN THEM INTO SOMETHING USEFUL.

time-read
5 mins  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind
Dog Rescue Saves Lives
Muse Science Magazine for Kids

Dog Rescue Saves Lives

THE ARGUMENT FOR ADOPTING A NO-KILL GOAL

time-read
4 mins  |
Muse November-December 2024: Pets on the Mind