What are lenticels? | Their role in nature and their relevance to Lyme disease

Lenticels and Lyme disease: What You Need to Know

Understanding the Connection between Plant Biology and Human Health

 

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. What are lenticels?

3. Lenticels in nature: their role in plant survival

4. How lenticels may be related to Lyme disease

5. Understanding the basics of Lyme disease

6. Ticks and their habitat: where lenticels come from

7. Prevention and awareness

8. Conclusion

9. External resources and further materials

 Introduction

Lenticels? No. Lenticels. These small but important structures in plants may not seem important at first glance, but they play a vital role in nature. Although lenticels are a part of plant anatomy, there is growing interest in how certain plant structures, including lenticels, may be related to tick habitats – and therefore to Lyme disease.

This article explains what lenticels are, how they work, and why they are important in terms of environmental science and human health. If you are new to this topic, don't worry – we will explain it in clear and easy-to-understand language.

What are lenticels?

Lenticels of a plant are small, cellular-like pores in woody bark. They act like pores that allow gas exchange between the plant’s internal tissues and the atmosphere — just like our lungs help us breathe.

They appear as raised bumps or lens-shaped spots on stems, roots and sometimes fruits. Common in trees like birch, cherry and apple, lenticels are essential for maintaining healthy oxygen levels inside plant tissues.

Fun fact: You’ve probably seen lenticels on apples and pears without even realizing it — those little dots on the peel? Those are lenticels.

Lenticels in Nature: Their Role in Plant Survival

Lenticels serve three main purposes: 

1. Gas exchange: letting carbon dioxide out and oxygen in.

2. Humidity control: helping to regulate internal humidity levels.

3. Adaptation: helping to survive in different environmental conditions.

In forest environments, the healthy function of lenticels contributes to a thriving ecosystem by maintaining plant health. They ensure that trees and shrubs can “breathe,” especially during periods of rapid growth or in waterlogged soil.

How lenticels may be related to Lyme disease

At first glance, lenticels and Lyme disease seem unrelated. However, there is a surprising ecological interrelationship. Lenticels often appear on moist, wooden surfaces, including fallen logs, low-hanging branches, and ground-up stems—the exact same microhabitats where ticks thrive.

Ticks such as Ixodes scapularis (commonly known as the black-legged or deer tick), the primary vector of Lyme disease in the U.S., prefer:

• Moist, shady environments

• Decaying wood and leaf litter

• Undisturbed areas such as forest floors

These habitats often contain tree bark with prominent lenticels. Although lenticels themselves do not attract ticks, their presence indicates healthy, oxygenated wood, which retains moisture—a critical element for ticks to survive and reproduce.

 Understanding Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi and is spread to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks.

Symptoms of Lyme disease:

 • Fever and chills

• Fatigue

• Joint pain

• Bullseye rash (erythema migrans)

• Headache

If not treated, it can result in neurological and cardiac troubles.

 Beginner tip: Ticks are always around in warm climates, but are most active during warmer weather (April September).

 Ticks and their habitat: where lenticels come from

 Understanding the habitat of ticks helps prevent Lyme disease. Ticks do not jump or fly; they wait in vegetation and latch on to nutrients that pass by them.

Why lenticels-rich environments are important:

 • These areas retain moisture, which ticks need to avoid drying out.

• Fallen branches and dead wood (with lenticels) are common resting places for ticks.

• Rodents and deer – common nutrients – frequent these habitats.

Thus, although lenticels do not cause Lyme disease, their presence in moist environments can indicate areas where ticks are likely to live.

Prevention and Awareness

 Knowing where ticks hide can help reduce your risk of Lyme disease. Here's what you can do:

 1. Modify your yard

• Remove brush piles, dead wood, and fallen branches.

• Keep grass cut short and bushes trimmed.

• Create dry barriers between lawns and wooded areas.

 2. Wear protective clothing

• Wear long-sleeved clothing, pants, and closed shoes.

• Tuck pants into socks.

 3. Use tick repellent

• Wear clothing treated with an EPA-registered repellent such as DEET, picaridin, or permethrin.

 4. Check for ticks

• After going outside, check yourself (and pets) for ticks,

(i) In the armpits

(ii) Behind the ears

(iii) Around the groin

(iv) Behind the knees

 5. Understand the local ecology

• Familiarize yourself with local plant species that may contain ticks.

• Please be aware that ticks are most active during certain seasons.

 Conclusion

 Although lenticels themselves are harmless and play an important role in plant life, they can indicate environments that are also ideal for tick survival. Understanding the natural interrelationship between plant biology and tick habitats can enable you to make safer choices in the outdoors.

If you are new to plant science or concerned about Lyme disease, be mindful of your surroundings, stay informed, and take simple precautions. The more we understand about nature’s interconnections, the better prepared we are to protect ourselves.

External Resources and Additional Reading Materials

1. CDC - Lyme disease Basics

2. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Lyme disease

3. USDA Forest Service - Tree Bark and Lenticels

4. Tick Encounter Resource Center