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

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.
Their research, published in the journal iScience on Thursday, reveals that this natural oddity is causing scientists to rethink what it means to be a tree. Interconnected roots provide a system of interaction between trees and tree stumps for some species, which makes them "much more complex than previously assumed," said the study's authors, Sebastian Leuzinger and Martin Bader.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's not clear what benefit living trees would have by looping a leafless stump into their network of resources — but that stump is able to use its community to get access to "water, carbon, mineral nutrients, and microorganisms," Gizmodo explained.
Given this ability for some trees to help each other out in such a direct way, maybe it's time to stop thinking of trees as individual organisms. Perhaps they're all just parts of one "superorganism" that comprises the whole forest, Leuzinger said. While we're far from having proof that such a scientific reclassification is necessary, it's safe to say that trees are a lot more complicated than we thought. Read more at Gizmodo.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 29, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - my way or Norway, running orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chat
Cartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published