Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Photo Source: Lance Oditt / Friends of Pando there is a trembling poplar forest in Utah, where all the trees are propagated asexually by a male, and their roots are connected to each other to form a huge individual. This whole forest is a tree, and it is also the largest tree in the world. In terms of dry weight, it is still the largest creature in the world. Today, the forest is threatened by herbivores, and new tree trunks are being eaten by deer. Will the largest tree survive the next ten thousand years?

When it comes to "the biggest tree in the world", is it some kind of towering cedar tree that comes to mind? Indeed, a giant sequoia like the General Sherman Tree, which can grow up to 50 to 80 meters tall and takes more than 20 people to embrace, can be called a giant among the trees.

However, the General Sherman tree is only the largest of any single-stem plant. Use your imagination: "A tree" does not have only one trunk. If the roots of all trees in a forest are connected to each other and have the same DNA, then from the biological definition, the forest is a single individual, that is, a tree!

In Utah, there is such a Populus tremuloides forest, which stretches over 43.6ha, but it is propagated asexually by a male. On the ground, we can see more than 47,000 tree trunks, but all of them are actually grown by this single poplar, while underground, the roots of these seemingly independent trees are actually connected to each other, and the whole forest forms a huge individual. This trembling poplar forest is called "Pando" clone (Pando clone), the whole individual weighs about 6000 tons, it is the largest tree on earth. Pando is even the largest creature in the world in terms of dry weight.

Overlooking the scene of Panduo trembling poplar forest, the green shadow shows the area of Panduo. (photo source: Lance Oditt / Friends of Pando) the solitary poplar Pando grows in Fish Lake National Forest Park (Fishlake National Forest) in Utah, about 1.6km southwest of Fish Lake. The forest is split in two by the highway, which is often used by tourists to the resort in summer, while few visitors visit it in other seasons. The forest was first morphologically identified as a clone in 1976, and in 2008, researchers analyzed Pando's gene and redefined the range of Pando clones-0.3 hectares more than previously thought.

Panduo trembling Poplar Lin's position on the map, the blue frame in the picture is Panduo's area. (photo source: Mock et. Al., 2008; DeWoody et. (al., 2008) although most of Pando's tree trunks only survive for about 130 years, the entire clone may have existed for thousands of years, and some studies have even suggested that Pando has lived for 14,000 years. This long-standing forest also supports a rich ecosystem of at least 68 species of plants, and many animals live under its shelter.

In order to maintain the health of the entire ecosystem, the National Forest Service has designated Pando as a protected area, which is not allowed to cut down trees without permission. However, due to other factors, the world's largest tree is still shrinking bit by bit and is even in danger of disappearing.

Bit by bit was eaten in a study in 2018, the researchers counted the number of living, dead and newborn tree trunks in various regions of Pando clones, compared with historical aerial pictures, and found that most of Pando's tree trunks were seriously aging. There are fewer and fewer new trunks. So where are all the new tree trunks? The researchers analyzed the faeces of animals in the forest and speculated that these "young trees" had been eaten by herbivores.

It turns out that since the 20th century, human habitat expansion and hunting activities have led to a decline in the number of predators such as wolves and grizzly bears in Pando's area. Artiodactyla animals that have lost their natural predators flourish, and some species that are not afraid of humans, such as mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Rocky Mountain Milu deer (Cervus elaphus), gradually gather in Pandolin. They eat Pando's new trunk, hindering the natural regeneration of most of the forest.

The deer is eating Pando's new trunk. (photo source: Lance Oditt / Friends of Pando) however, there are exceptions. In 2013, an area of Pandolin was fenced in to remove dead tree trunks and shrubs. This area of Pando has been freed from the interference of mule deer and Milu deer and successfully reproduced new tree trunks. The researchers suggest strengthening the control of herbivores and restricting them from entering Pandolin, otherwise routine maintenance methods such as removing dead trees and shrubs will not help Pandolin come back to life.

Disease and climate change Pando's newborn trunk is threatened by herbivores, while its old trunk faces at least three diseases: bark ulcers, leaf spots and fungal infections. These plant diseases may have been associated with Pando for thousands of years, but their long-term effects on ecosystems are unclear. But Pando, a giant asexual tree, may be far less resistant to disease than ordinary forests.

Another threat to rapid development is climate change. Pando appeared after the end of the earth's last ice age, and since then it has adapted to a basically stable climate. However, today's climate change threatens the entire ecosystem carried by the forests. For example, reduced precipitation and warming have made it more difficult for Pando to grow new leaves, resulting in a decline in the coverage of the whole forest. Of course, Pando lives in alpine areas surrounded by deserts, which means he is no stranger to warm climates and droughts, and Pando may be trying to adapt to this rapidly changing environment.

Pando's interior (photo: Lance Oditt / Friends of Pando) despite worrying threats, the world's largest tree is expected to survive. While scientists are studying Pando's growth history, the United States Forest Service and some non-governmental organizations are also working to protect the tree and its associated ecosystem. A conservation group called Friends of Pando has shared videos of the forest from various angles so that everyone in the world can see the largest tree.

Pando forms an entire ecosystem with a trembling poplar, where wild flowers and shrubs thrive in the shade of its canopy, shuttling between pollinating insects, birds, foxes and deer. If you have the opportunity to visit Pando, the experience in the woods can not help but sigh that there are so many magical plants, animals and ecosystems on earth worthy of our protection. To protect Pando's tree is to protect all three at the same time.

Pando's colorful leaves (photo source: Lance Oditt / Friends of Pando) original link:

Https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-largest-organism-is-slowly-being-eaten-by-deer-172294

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: global Science (ID:huanqiukexue), translated by Bai Defan, revised by Erqi.

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