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The Afterlife of Plants


Hosted by the Cable Natural History Museum, Wisconsin.

A tree may be more alive when it's dead. From microbes to forest managers, ecosystems depend on rotting wood. Cary Institute scientist Dr. Amy Zanne examines the fate of carbon stored in plants, including dead wood, and how factors such as temperature, moisture, fungi, termites, and differences in construction influence carbon emissions as plants decompose.

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