China has massive and dense sinkholes! Here’s what’s hidden in these mysterious pits

Beijing, China

China has various giant sinkholes and at the bottom of these mysterious pits are 'heavenly' forests filled with nutrient-rich plants which grow comparatively faster than the plants which grow on Earth's surface, according to a new study.

As per the study, these mysterious plants at the bottom of the sinkhole use less amount of fundamental building blocks even though they grow at a faster speed.

These sinkholes are known as "tiankeng", which means "heavenly pits" and are the ancient forests' few of the last remaining natural refuges. It is believed that these forests are likely to harbour unknown species, however, scientists have failed to understand how these plants are thriving at the bottom of the deep sinkholes.

According to scientists, the ferns, nettles and laurels thrive inside tiankeng because of the huge amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

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Since these nutrients are available in abundance in these pits, the plants slurp them up with the hope to grow tall and ensure that most of the sunlight reaches their leaves, as per the study which was published in the Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology.

"Plants can adapt to adverse environments by adjusting their nutrient content," wrote the researchers in the study.

All about Tiankeng - China's "heavenly pit"

Very little amount of sunlight reached the bottom of the pit in Mandarin. In the southwestern karst landscape of China, Tiankeng are 330-foot-deep (100 meters) holes.

The plants which need shade and moisture are harboured in these deep pits, along with the species unique to the region, as per the study.

"Due to the towering cliffs and steep terrain of the Tiankeng, it has been less disturbed by human activities," the researchers wrote.

"Tiankeng are refuges for modern karst forest plants, including the Nepali hog plum (Choerospondias axillaris) and the Chinese rain bell (Strobilanthes cusia)," the researchers wrote.

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The plants which grew inside these pits had lower carbon contents in comparison to those which grew outside but were filled with every other element measured by the researchers like potassium and calcium.

It was also found that Tiankeng plants are able to absorb nutrients more readily in comparison to "conservative" surface plants since there are various nutrients in the shady depths of sinkholes, according to the study.

"The soil nutritional status inside the Tiankeng forest is good," the researchers added and said that the plants have evolved in a way that they know how to make the best use of the resources available.

(With inputs from agencies)