Tree That Outlasted the Dinosaurs 145 Million Years Now Endangered

The old monkey puzzle tree is easily recognized with characteristic spiny leaves and complicated scaly branches. Scientists think its peculiar characteristics developed as a protection against tall, long-necked dinosaurs. The endangered evergreen tree that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs

A Precious Tree

The evergreen tree, which can grow to a height of 160 feet (48.8 meters) and has a millennia-long lifespan, is a fossil from the Jurassic period, more than 145 million years ago.

Although Araucaria araucana outlived the dinosaurs, scientists now classify the tree as endangered. Monkey puzzle trees are cultivated and may be found in gardens and parks worldwide, but in the wild, they are only found in Chile and Argentina on the slopes of Patagonia's volcanoes.

In Danger

The temperate forest where the monkey puzzle tree thrives has been reduced due to fires, land clearing, overgrazing, and logging. The austral parakeet, a coveted food source for an endangered bird species, is its big seeds. The green-hued parrots move between trees in flocks of approximately 15 birds in search of an ideal location to put on weight before the winter. The birds' numbers may increase to more than 100 when they strike it rich, and they gorge on monkey puzzle pine nuts.

A recent study has discovered that the ravaging parakeets may be helping the monkey puzzle trees in Patagonia thrive despite their insatiable desire for the nuts. According to scientists, the birds serve as a buffer against the danger posed by humans' overharvesting of the nuts.

Birds Taking Part

Researchers at Argentina's Biodiversity and Environment Research Institute at the National University of Comahue, Gabriela Gleiser and Karina Speziale, two of the study's authors, said that parakeets "play an important role in the regeneration of the araucaria forests" because the partially eaten seeds they drop to the ground are not picked up by seed collectors and still have the potential to germinate. Additionally, the parakeets distribute the seeds, they said through email, which causes the trees to regrow farther from the original plant.

Gleiser and Speziale also examine if the parakeets fertilize the female cones as they fly from branch to spiny.

Importance to Locals

Mapuche people in Chile and Argentina scale enormous trees to collect nuts. They grind the seeds into flour that may be used to make bread. The local authorities limit the number of nuts taken for private and commercial use.

Despite this, the researchers noted that several illicit collectors violate collecting restrictions. In populations that are reachable by humans, human seed harvesting poses a danger to the monkey puzzle tree's ability to reproduce since it nearly completely depletes the tree's seed banks.

The half chewed nuts can still germinate since collectors discard the parakeet-damaged nuts.

The monkey puzzle tree is entwined with the Mapuche way of life. Although, throughout colonial times and up until the 1990s, when industrial loggers ravaged the land, including the Araucaria trees, it was a relationship that was almost shattered. In Patagonia, the monkey puzzle trees are now legally protected. The Mapuche engaged in conflict with loggers and the Chilean government. The Araucaria trees have a 1,000-year lifespan and may reach 160 feet.

Trying to Replenish the Woods

In the CNN documentary "Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World," Mapuche Indigenous person Petrona Pellao remarked, "The Araucaria is just like the Mapuche people... even if they have been abused, beaten up, we all keep strong."

Replanting Araucaria trees and learning about their ancestors' traditional ways are current activities among the Mapuche. The objectives include helping the Mapuche grow pine nuts responsibly and enabling the Araucaria trees to flourish once more.

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