TEHRAN (Tasnim) A tropical tree species in Panamas lowland rainforest appears to benefit from lightning strikes by surviving unscathed while nearby vegetation is destroyed, a new study has found.

The tonka bean tree (Dipteryx oleifera) may have evolved a unique advantage by withstanding lightning strikes that harm neighboring plants and parasitic vines, according to research published March 26 in the journal New Phytologist.

"Lightning kills a lot of trees, especially a lot of very big trees," said lead author Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

"But Dipteryx oleifera consistently showed no damage," he told Live Science.

In tropical forests, lightning is a major cause of tree mortality, particularly among large, old trees that are vital for carbon storage and biodiversity.

Researchers observed that D. oleifera not only survived lightning strikes but seemed to flourish in their aftermath.

To track nearly 100 lightning strikes, the team installed a custom network of electric field sensors and cameras in Panamas Barro Colorado Nature Monument.

An array of antennas detected the radio signals generated by lightning, allowing scientists to pinpoint exact strike locations.

Combined with drone imaging and on-ground assessments, this system helped monitor tree conditions after each event.

Over multiple years of observation, D. oleifera consistently showed minimal to no damage from direct strikes.

To understand long-term effects, researchers also analyzed four decades of forest plot data.

"Over those 40 years, there's a quantifiable, detectable hazard of living next to Dipteryx oleifera. (As a tree), you are substantially more likely to die than living next to any other big old large tree in that forest," Gora said.

Each strike destroyed more than 2 metric tons (2.4 tons) of surrounding tree biomass and wiped out nearly 80% of lianasvines that commonly infest the tonka bean tree canopy.

Gora believes the tree's physical characteristics, including its high internal conductivity, allow lightning to pass through without causing internal heat damagesimilar to a well-insulated wire.

Given its heightup to 40 meters (130 feet)and long lifespan, a single D. oleifera tree may be struck at least five times in its lifetime.

Each strike effectively clears out competition and opens the canopy, boosting the trees access to sunlight and space.

The researchers estimate that this natural process may lead to a 14-fold increase in the trees lifetime seed production.

Gregory Moore, a horticulturist at the University of Melbourne not involved in the study, said the findings could apply to other ecosystems.

"This sort of work could also apply to other tree-dominated plant communities such as woodlands or low woodlands where trees are widely separated, so nothing like a tropical forest," Moore said.

He added that tall trees in Australia also often survive lightning and fires.

"They are often referred to as stags because the top of the crown has been blown out, but they can survive for centuries after being hit by lightning," he said.

Gora and his team plan to expand their study to forests in Africa and Southeast Asia to determine if similar lightning-related survival benefits exist in other species.