Baobab trees are not only iconic images of dry, hot areas of Africa.
Baobabs are important because they supply water
and food for people and animals.
They are sometimes called “the tree of life.”
Yet, say researchers, some baobabs are mysteriously dying.
Nine of the 13 oldest trees, aged between 1,000 and 2,500 years,
have died in the early part of this century.
Researchers reported the finding in the scientific journal Nature Plants.
The sudden collapse is “an event of unprecedented magnitude, ”
the researchers wrote.