Scientists discover how trees sense a tilt and straighten themselves

A tree might look like it's stuck in place, quietly suffering whatever weather comes. But below that stillness is a remarkable system for sensing, responding and correcting its own posture. But new research suggests that trees can sense when their stems are bent, and turn on a biological process that works much like opposing muscles to bring them back into alignment. Scientists from INRAE and the University Clermont Auvergne have unveiled yet another sophisticated strategy by which plants respond to their environment, and to the shape of their own bodies, by demonstrating how this process operates in young trees. The study published by Phys Org, states that 'Proprioception' is the sense of the position of the different parts of the body. In animals, it coordinates muscles and joints, enabling movement and posture maintenance. For a long time it was thought that this is something plants cannot do.