{"id":107905,"date":"2024-09-28T11:18:46","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T04:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=107905"},"modified":"2024-09-28T11:18:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T04:18:46","slug":"earths-largest-organism-is-slowly-being-eaten-scientist-says-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=107905","title":{"rendered":"Earth&#8217;s Largest Organism Is Slowly Being Eaten, Scientist Says : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In the Wasatch Mountains of the western US on the slopes above a spring-fed lake, there dwells a single giant organism that provides an entire ecosystem on which plants and animals have relied for thousands of years.<\/p>\n<p>Found in my home state of Utah, &#8220;Pando&#8221; is a 106-acre stand of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.fed.us\/wildflowers\/beauty\/aspen\/grow.shtml\">quaking aspen<\/a> clones.<\/p>\n<p>Although it looks like a woodland of individual trees with striking white bark and small leaves that flutter in the slightest breeze, Pando (Latin for &#8220;I spread&#8221;) is actually 47,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/bioone.org\/journals\/Western-North-American-Naturalist\/volume-68\/issue-4\/1527-0904-68.4.493\/Pando-Lives--Molecular-Genetic-Evidence-of-a-Giant-Aspen\/10.3398\/1527-0904-68.4.493.short\">genetically identical stems<\/a> that arise from an interconnected root network.<\/p>\n<p>This single genetic individual weighs around 6,000 metric tons. By mass, it is the largest single organism on Earth.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\" wf_caption\" style=\"max-width: 700px; width: 100%; display: block;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2021-11\/GreenAerialOutlineofPandoInNaturalContext.jpg\" alt=\"PandoStemsResemblingTrees\" width=\"700\" style=\"width: 100%;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><span style=\"text-align: right; display: block;\">Aerial outline of Pando, with Fish Lake in the foreground. (Lance Oditt\/Friends of Pando)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Aspen trees <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/scitable\/knowledge\/library\/case-study-the-glorious-golden-and-gigantic-13261308\/\">do tend to form clonal stands<\/a> elsewhere, but what makes Pando interesting is its enormous size. Most clonal aspen stands in North America <a href=\"https:\/\/cdnsciencepub.com\/doi\/10.1139\/b76-280#pill-purchase-access\">are much smaller<\/a>, with those in western US averaging just 3 acres.<\/p>\n<p>Pando has been around for thousands of years, potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-017-04871-7\">up to 14,000 years<\/a>, despite most stems only living for about 130 years. Its longevity and remoteness mean a whole ecosystem of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-4907\/10\/12\/1118\">68 plant species<\/a> and many animals have evolved and been supported under its shade.<\/p>\n<p>This entire ecosystem relies on the aspen remaining healthy and upright. But, although Pando is protected by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/detail\/fishlake\/home\/?cid=STELPRDB5393641\">US National Forest Service<\/a> and is not in danger of being cut down, it is in danger of disappearing due to several other factors.<\/p>\n<h2>Deer are eating the youngest &#8216;trees&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Overgrazing by <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0203619&amp;xid=17259,1500004,15700022,15700124,15700149,15700186,15700190,15700201,15700214\">deer and elk<\/a> is one of the biggest worries. Wolves and cougars once kept their numbers in check, but herds are now much larger because of the loss of these predators.<\/p>\n<p>Deer and elk also tend to congregate in Pando as the protection the woodland receives means they are not in danger of being hunted there.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\" wf_caption\" style=\"max-width: 700px; width: 100%; display: block;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2021-11\/ADeerWithinTheGreenPandoEcosystem.jpg\" alt=\"PandoStemsResemblingTrees\" width=\"700\" style=\"width: 100%;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><span style=\"text-align: right; display: block;\">Deer eating Pando shoots. (Lance Oditt\/Friends of Pando)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>As older trees die or fall down, light reaches the woodland floor which <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/treephys\/article\/26\/5\/681\/1690704?login=true\">stimulates new clonal stems to start growing<\/a>, but when these animals eat the tops off newly forming stems, they die. This means in large portions of Pando there is little new growth.<\/p>\n<p>The exception is one area that was fenced off a few decades ago to remove dying trees. This fenced-off area has excluded elk and deer and has seen successful regeneration of new clonal stems, with dense growth referred to as the &#8220;bamboo garden&#8221;.<\/p>\n<h2>Diseases and changing climate<\/h2>\n<p>Older stems in Pando are also being affected by at least <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.usu.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=8701&amp;context=aspen_bib\">three diseases<\/a>: sooty bark canker, leaf spot, and conk fungal disease.<\/p>\n<p>While plant diseases have developed and thrived in aspen stands for millennia, it is unknown what the long-term effect on the ecosystem may be, given that there is a lack of new growth and an ever-growing list of other pressures on the clonal giant.<\/p>\n<p>The fastest-growing threat is that of <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.usu.edu\/aspen_bib\/7061\/\">climate change<\/a>. Pando arose after the last ice age had passed and has dealt with a largely stable climate ever since.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\" wf_caption\" style=\"max-width: 700px; width: 100%; display: block;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2021-11\/PandoStemsResemblingTrees.jpg\" alt=\"PandoStemsResemblingTrees\" width=\"700\" style=\"width: 100%;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><span style=\"text-align: right; display: block;\">Pando has survived disease, hunting, and colonization. (Lance Oditt\/Friends of Pando)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>To be sure, it inhabits an <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fish_Lake_(Utah)\">alpine region<\/a> surrounded by desert, meaning it is no stranger to warm temperatures or drought. But <a href=\"https:\/\/sciencealert.com\/climate-change\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73046\" data-postid=\"139489\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">climate change<\/a> threatens the size and lifespan of the tree, as well as the whole ecosystem it hosts.<\/p>\n<p>Although no scientific studies have focused specifically on Pando, aspen stands have been struggling with climate change-related pressures, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1029\/2018WR023468\">reduced water supply<\/a> and warmer weather earlier in the year, making it <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/ece3.3352\">harder for trees to form new leaves<\/a>, which have led to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-4907\/10\/8\/671\">declines in coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With more competition for ever-dwindling water resources (the nearby Fish Lake is just out of reach of the tree&#8217;s root system), temperatures expected to continue <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2021\/jun\/14\/us-heatwave-southwest-utah-california-nevada-arizona\">soaring to record highs<\/a> in summer, and the threat of more intense wildfires, Pando will certainly struggle to adjust to these fast-changing conditions while maintaining its size.<\/p>\n<h2>The next 14,000 years<\/h2>\n<p>Yet Pando is resilient and has already survived rapid environmental changes, especially when European settlers began inhabiting the area in the 19th century or after the rise of 20th-century recreational activities. It has dealt with disease, wildfire, and grazing before and remains the world&#8217;s largest scientifically documented organism.<\/p>\n<p>Despite every <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/pano-one-worlds-largest-organisms-dying-180970579\/\">cause for concern<\/a>, there is hope as scientists are helping us unlock the secrets to Pando&#8217;s resilience, while conservation groups and the US forest service are working to protect this tree and its associated ecosystem. And a group called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsofpando.org\/\">Friends of Pando<\/a> aims to make the tree accessible to virtually everyone through 360 video recordings.<\/p>\n<p>One summer, when I was visiting my family in Utah, I took the chance to visit Pando. I spent two amazing days walking under towering mature stems swaying and &#8220;quaking&#8221; in the gentle breeze, between the thick new growth in the &#8220;bamboo garden&#8221;, and even into charming meadows that puncture portions of the otherwise-enclosed center.<\/p>\n<p>I marveled at the wildflowers and other plants thriving under the dappled shade canopy, and I was able to take delight in spotting pollinating insects, birds, fox, beaver, and deer, all using some part of the ecosystem created by Pando.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s these moments that remind us that we have plants, animals, and ecosystems worth protecting. In Pando, we get the rare chance to protect all three.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/172294\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/richard-elton-walton-1074793\">Richard Elton Walton<\/a>, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Biology, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/newcastle-university-906\">Newcastle University<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-worlds-largest-organism-is-slowly-being-eaten-by-deer-172294\">original article<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>An earlier version of this article was published in November 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/earths-largest-organism-is-slowly-being-eaten-scientist-says\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the Wasatch Mountains of the western US on the slopes above a spring-fed lake, there dwells a single giant organism that provides an entire ecosystem on which plants and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=107905\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107905\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}