[Did you know...?] Cherry trees can breathe

[Zedd]

What’s the first thing you do when you get into your car after it’s been sitting in the hot sun all day? Open the windows! Well, trees also need windows in their trunks and branches to let air circulate.

If you’re thinking “Wait! I learned in botany class that the exchange of gases occurs in the leaves of trees, not the bark,” you are correct. Leaves have tiny holes in their surfaces—called stomata, or “little mouths”—that open and close to let tree leaves draw in carbon dioxide and release oxygen for photosynthesis.

But trees also respire, just as we do, pulling in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. And respiration occurs in the cells of all living tree tissues, not just the leaves.

Read the full article