Video based on the research of Cary Institute forest ecologist Evan Gora. YouTube channel: Dr. Ben Niles.
Tonka Bean trees not only survive lightning strikes, but that lightning damages nearby competing trees and vines.
Scientists had previously suspected that some trees evolved to tolerate lightning, but evidence to back it up was lacking. In 2022, Evan Gora and colleagues demonstrated for the first time that trees differ in their ability to survive getting hit by lightning. Their new research is the first to show that trees can actually benefit from these electric jolts.
Research paper
Gora, E.M., Muller-Landau, H.C., Cushman, K.C., Richards, J.H., Bitzer, P.M., Burchfield, J.C., Narváez, P. and Yanoviak, S.P. (2025), How some tropical trees benefit from being struck by lightning: evidence for Dipteryx oleifera and other large-statured trees. New Phytol, 246: 1554-1566. https:/
