Every year, the **tropical forests receive more than 35 million lightning strikes**, causing the death of up to 16% of the tree biomass, as is the case in places like **Barro Colorado, Panama**. With the **advancement of [climate change](https://noticiasambientales.com/medio-ambiente/el-mar-mediterraneo-en-transformacion-especies-invasoras-y-el-impacto-del-cambio-climatico/)**, these **electric discharges become more intense and frequent**, increasing the scope of their impacts.
While traditionally considered destructive, recent research reveals that lightning can also have **unexpected positive effects**, such as **eliminating parasites** and boosting the reproductive success of species like **the tropical almond tree (Dipteryx oleifera)**.
## Technology serving ecological knowledge
The use of **drones, sensors, and systems for [detecting electrical discharges](https://noticiasambientales.com/ciencia/un-arbol-usa-los-rayos-para-derrotar-enemigos-la-llamativa-adaptacion/)** has allowed for a more precise quantification of the impact of lightning. These data reveal that lightning not only **fractures trunks and causes fires**, but can also **kill trees up to two years after the impact**, indirectly affecting the ecosystem’s balance.
## Lianas: natural cables that amplify destruction in tropical forests
**Lianas**, abundant in the tropical rainforest, play a crucial role as **conductors of electricity between trees**. When lightning strikes a large tree, these vines can transmit the discharge to smaller specimens, **significantly increasing secondary mortality**.
A study carried out in Panama demonstrated that the **density of lianas is directly related to the severity of the damage**, although it does not increase the total affected area. Without lianas, **many young trees could survive electrical discharges**, which is why they are now incorporated into models that explain how forests respond to storms.
## The tropical almond tree and its surprising adaptation to lightning
The species **Dipteryx oleifera**, one of the tallest in the tropics, showed **extraordinary resilience to electrical impacts**. Far from weakening, it can survive multiple strikes without serious damage.
After being struck by lightning, this tree can:
– **Eliminate up to 78% of its parasitic vines.**
– **Reduce competition from neighboring species.**
– **Access more light, water, and nutrients.**
– **Multiply its seed production by 14 times.**
It is even suggested that its **tall and branched structure may have evolved to attract lightning as an evolutionary strategy**, a phenomenon that scientists are beginning to investigate in tropical forests of **Africa and Asia**.
## Lightning, allies, and threats in tropical forests
This new scientific approach redefines the role of lightning in tropical forests, showing that, although they **can cause severe damage**, they also play key roles in **ecological dynamics, forest regeneration, and species diversity**.
With an increasingly unstable global climate, **understanding and modeling these processes is essential** to predict the future of tropical ecosystems and their recovery capacity.
