"Learn to use fire"

In the history of human development, "learning to use fire" is undoubtedly a very important node, through the manipulation of fire, human beings can process various ingredients in nature into cooked food that can be easily digested and absorbed, and can also exert a powerful deterrent to other animals, and can dispel darkness and cold, and harvest light and warmth, from then on Step by step, a glorious civilization has been created.

Interestingly, humans are not the only ones who can use fire. There is another kind of fire manipulator in the wonderful nature - the eucalyptus tree, whose performance is a perfect illustration of "wildfires never burn out, but grow again in spring".

Eucalyptus is the collective name for the eucalyptus, cymbal eucalyptus, and cup fruit wood plants under the order Dicotyledonea, Myrtleaceae, and Myrtaceae. Eucalyptus is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and other places.

Studies have shown that the branches and leaves of eucalyptus trees contain volatile aromatic oil, also known as eucalyptus oil, which is very flammable, with a flash point of only about 50 degrees Celsius and a calorific value higher than that of gasoline, and researchers once tried to use eucalyptus oil to make biofuel, but later stopped because the unit production was too small and the production costs were too high.

Eucalyptus trees grow quickly, and in the process, their dead branches and leaves accumulate on the ground, forming a thick layer of flammable material that, in a hot, dry, or windy environment, can cause a blazing fire with just a flash of lightning, a spark or even the scorching sun.

As you can see, eucalyptus trees seem to be deliberately starting fires, but why have they evolved this "skill"?

Researchers have analyzed historical data on forest fires around the world and found that the forests where eucalypts are dominant have almost always had larger forest fires, and after each fire, eucalypts almost always grow rapidly and gradually gain an absolute advantage in survival.

So the answer is that by manipulating fire, eucalypts can effectively "fight" their competitors (i.e. other plants), so another question arises. Let's see.

Eucalyptus trees are tall trees with the distinctive feature that most of their branches and leaves grow on top of the trees, while the lower part of their trunks is "bare" and their bark is thick, with a special fiber structure that can withstand a considerable amount of fire, while the ducts inside their trunks, used to transport nutrients, are The ducts that carry nutrients are buried deep in the center of the trunk.

In the event of a fire, the eucalyptus branches and leaves (both those that fall to the ground and those that grow on the tree) burn quickly because they are rich in eucalyptus oil, which quickly ignites other plants while effectively reducing the lasting damage from the flames.

Although the trunks of eucalyptus trees are also likely to be scorched in a fire, their interiors are protected by their bark with relatively little damage, so most eucalyptus trees will survive as long as the fire is not particularly aggressive.

Beneath the bark of eucalyptus trees, there are many dormant buds, and after feeling the heat of the fire, these buds will "revive" from their dormant state, and usually, within two weeks, fresh young leaves will grow out of the seemingly lifeless trunk, which is a miracle of life.

In addition, the seeds of eucalyptus trees usually have a hard shell that cracks after the heat of the flames, and then quickly take root and sprout.

In contrast, other plants around eucalypts do not have the same strong "fire prevention strategy" as eucalypts, so after a fire, these plants are often burned to the ground and never recover, and the ashes left behind after they burn are turned into nutrients in the soil, helping eucalypts to grow stronger.

In short, eucalypts are the perfect example of how "wildfires never burn out, the breeze grows again", and through the manipulation of fire, eucalypts constantly "fight" their competitors in a way that "hurts a thousand enemies at the expense of eight hundred". Through the control of fire, the eucalyptus tree keeps "fighting" the competitors around it in a way that "hurts itself and injures a thousand enemies", which is also a manifestation of the fierce competition between various species in nature.