Pando (Populus tremuloides) is the oldest living organism as well as the oldest tree in the world, with an estimated age of over 80, 000 years. Pando is located in Fishlake National Forest in Utah, USA. It is a massive grove of quaking aspens determined to be a single living organism and assumed to have a massive underground root system. It is also known as a trembling giant.
Pando occupies about 43.6 hectares(108 acres) and is estimated weight of 6,000,000 kilograms which is the heaviest known organism. They are known for their bright color in the fall and make a quaking sound as the wind passes through their leaves.
Pando has the unique ability to produce genetically identical offspring through offshoots from its root system. By this ability they can multiply asexually through their root system, it tends to colonize large swaths of land through a shared root system. Above ground, Pando may look like a grove of individual trees but they all are genetically identical clones.
Pando has survived so long because it has the ability to create continuously clone itself. Our mother nature has given us an amazing beauty to the world.
But according to the researchers, the Pando may be dying. Studying of Pando shows that the tree has been declining for decades in size and has slowed down with producing replacement trees due to the combination of hungry grazing animals and human encroachment. These two major threats have caused Pando’s disappearance.
The scientists have found that the fences are protecting certain areas of the aspen grove which were effective at protecting Pando. In protected areas, they are able to grow and reproduce rapidly. This will help ongoing conservation efforts for Pando and helps shed light on the oldest and largest organism in the world’s slow death.
