This dead-looking tree stump is being kept alive by other trees

Tree roots.
(Image credit: iStock.)

If a tree falls in a forest, is it really dead?

A peculiar tree stump in New Zealand is testing this question. Scientists found a tree stump of the species Agathis australis, known as the kauri tree, that is still growing new tissue despite having no leaves. They discovered that it was actually being helped by other trees — under the forest floor, an interconnected root system allowed nutrients from the other kauri trees to pass to the stump, letting it grow even when it had no leaves.

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Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.