Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
On 106 acres in Fishlake National Forest in Richfield, Utah, a 13-million-pound giant has been looming for thousands of years. But few people have ever heard of him.
This is "the Trembling Giant," or Pando, from the Latin word for "I spread." A single clone, and genetically male, he is the most massive organism on Earth. He is a forest of one: a grove of some 47,000 quivering aspen trees — Populus tremuloides — connected by a single root system, and all with the same DNA.
But this majestic behemoth may be more of a Goliath, suggests a study published Wednesday in PLOS ONE. Threatened by herds of hungry animals and human encroachment, Pando is fighting a losing battle.
The study, consisting of recent ground surveys and an analysis of 72 years of aerial photographs, revealed that this unrealized natural treasure and keystone species — with hundreds of dependents — is shrinking. And without more careful management of the forest, and the mule deer and cattle that forage within him, the Trembling Giant will continue to dwindle.
"It's been thriving for thousands of years, and now it's coming apart on our watch," said Paul Rogers, an ecologist at Utah State University who led the study.
How Pando got so big is a mystery. Perhaps it lived among other clones and became dominant over time. Or maybe the relatively flat land where it grows encouraged its spread. Maybe Pando just outcompeted other trees.
But there's hope for Pando as managers learn from past mistakes and take advantage of an improved understanding of forest ecology.
Where one section of the forest has been properly fenced off and managed, trees have grown tens of feet in just a few years. Pando's genetics may encourage its fast growth in new areas.
More fencing, culling of deer, and experimentation with the forest's natural ecology ultimately might save Pando, Dr. Rogers said. And educating the public about the giant's significance may spur novel conservation methods. For instance, saving common species such as aspen, which support high biodiversity, might be just as important as saving rare, charismatic species.
"If we can save this, there are lessons that may help us save hundreds to thousands of species worldwide," Dr. Rogers said. "If we can't manage that 106 acres and restore it, what does that say about our greater interactions with the earth?"
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @12:19AM (4 children)
You city dwellers keep thinking aspens are cute, but we killed them for a damn good reason. They cause harm, both directly to humans and indirectly by killing our livestock.
We even burned all the forest off of Mount Monadnock just to wipe out a stand of aspen. The mountain is still bald 2 centuries later.
At this point, reintroducing the aspen is like introducing an invasive species. One might as well release lions and tigers and hippos and tse-tse flies and bot flies and the guinea worm. Heck, go for smallpox too!
People who support aspen are a special kind of traitor. It's not really against a country. It's against humanity itself. We tamed the wilderness so we could live safely, and some people want to undo that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @12:25AM (1 child)
Woah. Have they gone huorn [wikia.com] or something?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @01:32AM
He is a vampire:
link [vampires.com])
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @12:51AM (1 child)
It's true. A gang of aspen trees killed my grandpappy. Bastards.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @01:07AM
Sorry to hear that. I thought he was pretty tough, but is looks like he wasn't very good at kicking aspen.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @12:35AM (3 children)
>pando, the most massive organism on earth
Just why have you just called my cock "pando"? and why do you care about its state? MYOB
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @03:27AM (2 children)
Further proof that incels are angry about not getting laid. This is the odd case where an incel's dick is TOO big for any woman to accommodate, willing or not. #darkrationale
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @05:02AM (1 child)
Don't invoke if you're gonna joke.
Incel virgins will kill civilization if they are not pacified. Coddling them with universal basic income and VR waifus is recommended. If you prefer to get your hands dirty, there's also CBT. No, not Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @11:44AM
I did tell you not to read, but no, you had to do it anyway.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @12:40AM (1 child)
It shrank a little. Get a grip.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @12:49AM
He's a millennial scientist and they all talk that way. First choose a conclusion, then look for data that fits, then publish your research on Twitter as irrefutable proof that things are getting worse.
(Score: 3, Informative) by beckett on Monday October 22 2018, @02:24AM (1 child)
Bullshit on this "Largest Organism"; Oregon's Humongous Fungus [opb.org] spans 2200 acres [wikipedia.org], Fuck you Pando, you diminutive, vascular, piece of shit
(Score: 3, Interesting) by aclarke on Monday October 22 2018, @01:33PM
Why is it that we're discussing two different contenders for "largest organism" and they both happen to be in the United States?
Is it just random chance, sort of like winning the lottery / getting struck by lightning twice? I once knew a guy in his early 20s (American, BTW) who claimed to have been struck by lightning four times, so it's possible I suppose. Maybe it's like how aliens always attack the United States when they arrive. In movies, I mean.
Is it just 'Murica!, sort of like the "World Series"? "There may be other larger organisms but since they're not in our country they don't really matter."
Or is it that Americans have taken more of an interest in finding organisms and have thoroughly explored their own country? Leading this to be more of a "largest organism heretofore discovered" scenario?
I'm leaning toward a combination of all these. Regardless, both of these organisms are fascinating.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by requerdanos on Monday October 22 2018, @04:03AM (4 children)
Either lack of biodiversity--like a single tree expressed in 47,000 trunks--is good, or having biodiversity is good. I am not sure you can have it both ways.
The tree failing is a triumph of biodiversity, but if the tree survives, then it will support biodiversity beneath its many branches. Where's the downside to any outcome here, if "supporting biodiversity" is the goal?
(Score: 2) by aclarke on Monday October 22 2018, @01:36PM
If the goal is to support biodiversity, wouldn't you want to support the livelihood of one of the earth's oldest and largest organisms? It's not some sort of threat that's in danger of spreading and taking over the world.
On that note, we're talking about 107 acres. It doesn't seem like it would be very hard to look after if there was much local will to do so.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @02:36PM (2 children)
Not biodiversity, it lacks GENETIC diversity and this is its flaw. One threat- be it fungus or climate change or insects- can threaten the whole thing. This is why nature invented sexual reproduction rather than cloning reproduction.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @06:03PM
there's nothing wrong with pando. the excess deer and cows(!) are eating everything. stop shooting all the goddamn predators just so you can wild ($free) graze the goddamn cows and this shit wouldn't be an issue.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday October 22 2018, @08:54PM
sexual or cloning reproduction? It seems prudent to have both. Even incel trees get to reproduce.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Entropy on Monday October 22 2018, @05:47AM
White(trunks), male, and lack of diversity all packed into one location. I'd start looking for bioterrorism attacks against from terrorist groups like Antifa.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 22 2018, @08:18AM
I first read that as orgasm