Can trees get cancer?

[ColonelCossack]

I don't really see why not, because animals get cancer when a piece of ionising radiation zaps a piece of DNA, thus making the cell cancerous, and I don't see any reason why that can't also happen to plant cells.

Maybe it's because plant cells have cell walls and animal cells only have membranes- but then I suppose a cell wall wouldn't be enough to stop alpha radiation, let alone gamma radiation.

And if plants do get cancer, maybe they don't get very bad and spread a lot because plants have slower metabolisms than animals and so grow slower- except for bamboo.

I was going to put this in non-political because it's not really that serious, but then I decided to put it in here, so i don't mind if mods move it.

[Queercommie Girl]

Radiation isn't the only cause of cancer.

Whatever the cause is, cancer happens when cell reproduction gets out of control. So yes, theoretically this could happen to plant cells too.

But plants generally speaking are less likely to die from cancer due to their slower metabolism and the absence of localised critical organs (e.g. brain, heart, lungs etc).

[ColonelCossack]

Radiation isn't the only cause of cancer.

Whatever the cause is, cancer happens when cell reproduction gets out of control. So yes, theoretically this could happen to plant cells too.

But plants generally speaking are less likely to die from cancer due to their slower metabolism and the absence of localised critical organs (e.g. brain, heart, lungs etc).

I know radiation isn't the only cause of cancer- i meant if plants could get cancer because of radiation, as well as if they could get cancer at all.

I thought low metabolism might have something to do with it.

I wonder if they could get cancer from fiberglass?