the tree died at 4 pm...

[DaSwede]

Alright folks, I know I'm going to get seriously mocked on this one, but I'll ask anyway. When a human being dies, or an animal, it's possible to call the time of death. Would it also be possible, hypothetically, to call the time of death for a tree or a plant? Now I do know about the nervous system, brain death, the human circulatory system, etcetera, so you don't really have to educate me at that level. Still, a tree does go from being alive to being dead, and even if it's a withering process, there has to be some kind of point of no return - whether you call it death or just that: Point of no return.

If you say no, do motivate your opinion!

I'll eagerly watch for your answers, but I'm afraid it may be a long time before I can thank you. I have huge signing-in problems from 'my' public computers and have to go to the other end of Stockholm to find a cooperative one... if I'm lucky.

Go ahead, friends. Have a field day.

[swamp duck]

Don't really know, am just guessing. But trees and plants have 'circulatory systems' as such, would it be the same as humans?At the time that this stopped, is this when their officially dead?

[spacechimp]

Cool, Stockholm! How awfully civilised.

[rosyrussell]

The processes of a plant are similar to ours - they respire - use oxygen to release energy that they produce, and they take up water through their roots and expell the waste through the leaves and stems - so logically there must be a point at which these things cease to function and there must be a point of death for plants. However to measure this would be pretty hard! I am sure that one day someone will discover that plants are able to feel in some way or another, and that will open up a whole can of worms!! 'Equal Rights for Radishes' !!!!!!!!!

[spacechimp]

We're not even sure how long after dying human brains actually stop functioning though are we(?), so with a plant it would be almost impossible to tell.

[mibn2cweus]

You could put it out of its misery. This is not a widely available legal option for humans as yet.

[spacechimp]

what on earth do you mean, 'as yet'?

[mr_pointment]

DaSwede, bless her (i'm assuming it's a her on the gravity of the question)yet another case of letting the monkey grind the organ.

though in this case, it seems more mission impossible.

even spacechimps unimpressed with that question,lol.

Have a field day?you havin a laff?

your not a psychologist trying to avoid buying a few books by any chance are you?if you are post me your email addy(AB allows now)cos i need some cheap treatment.

[newtron]

I don't know about determining the time of death on the small time scale that you are concerned with, but radio carbon dating can be used to determine the time of death of a tree or plant (or any living thing) on a much larger time scale (hundreds to thounsands of years). The criteria for time of death is when the organism no longer participates in the carbon cycle. This link will tell you more about radio carbon dating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dating

[catfish666]

All organisms have a decayal process but if you want to know HOW to find the time of death of a certain plant, ask a botanist. Establishing time of death is related with the study of carbon dating which can also be used to find the age almost anything.

[DaSwede]

Thanks for your answers and for thinking along with me! rosyrussell, I think there actually already is research proving that plants have at least reactions, which may be what we call feelings. There was one experiment where the scientist walked about in a room with a scissors and did bad things to some of the plants... whereupon their brethren reacted by 'screaming' (electrodes of some sort) when the scientist began to approach them.

mibn2cweus, your alias is tough to write you know, so I'm trying to decode it... "Am i being too serious"? Or some other word instead of 'serious'?

newtron, as you say that wasn't exactly what I asked, but radiocarbon dating is an interesting subject, so that's a good page, thanks!

Bye for now - I'm being logged out (at the library.)

[mibn2cweus]

DaSwede, I M Cweus, varwe varwe Cweus!

Maybe, just maybe 2 Cweus? <�?

[DaSwede]

Uh....? Nice colours, though, mibn2cweus...