Bioelectrical synchronization of Picea abies during a solar eclipse

Regular light–dark cycles greatly affect organisms, and events like eclipses induce distinctive physiological and behavioural shifts. While well-documented in animals, plant behaviour during eclipses remains largely unexplored. Here, we monitored multiple spruce trees to assess their individual and collective bioelectrical responses to a solar eclipse. Trees anticipated the eclipse, synchronizing their bioelectrical behaviour hours in advance. Older trees displayed greater anticipatory behaviour with early time-asymmetry and entropy increases. These results reveal a relationship between trees, shaped by individual age and physiology as well as collective history. This highlights the significance of synchrony in plants, offering new insights into coordinated behaviours in nature., , , # Bioelectrical synchronization of *Picea abies* during a solar eclipse

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.brv15dvhr](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.brv15dvhr)

We measured bioelectrical potentials using five pairs of differential electrodes from trees in a forest. Each electrode pair was connected to a differential amplifier before data recording. This setup, with electrodes placed on both the inner (xylem) and outer (phloem) layers of the tree, allowed us to capture information about bioelectrical activity throughout the tree’s vascular system. For the collection of xylematic bioelectrical potentials from one tree, ten stainless steel (AISI 316) threaded rods of 6 mm diameter were utilized. These rods were evenly spaced along the trunk, uncovered portions of roots and logs, with a separation distance of 50 cm. Each electrode pair was connected to a differential amplifier prior to recording the data. For the collection of phloematic biolectrical potentials, two recording circles were posit...,