The clonal grove of Pando: A forest made of one tree
When you think of a tree, you visualise a trunk, green leaves, roots and branches. But what if we told you that there is a tree that grows like swaths of forest? Yes, we are talking about clonal grove. It is a tree complex interconnected by a single network of roots underground. Also, all the trunks are genetically identical.
A wonderful example is the Pando clonal grove in the Fishlake National Park, Utah. It’s a clonal grove full of Quaking Aspen trees. Let’s understand how this clonal grove works and look at some incredible facts that are buried deep within the roots of these ancient trees.
Pando: How does a single root cover the entire forest?
Now, the term ‘Pando’ in Latin translates to ‘I spread’. A befitting name because the entire forest of tress in Pando is connected by a single root system! The stems span more than 100 acres! These trees procreate by cloning! Yes, you read that correctly. The Pando grove is a single colony of naturally cloned Quaking Aspen male trees. The root system currently contains approximately 47,000 stems that form the tree grove. Looking at the root system, Burton Barnes, who first discovered Pando in 1970s, declared it to be one giant organism! So, even though it appears to be a forest, it is actually just one tree!
The oldest and heaviest organism in the world!
The Pando is the oldest and largest organism on the planet! This massive living being that covers over 100 acres, weighs around 13 million pounds! Some scientists believe that chunks of the root system have died off, separating parts of the colony. This has sparked discussion about exploring other clonal groves that may be heavier than Pando. Whatever one thinks of the Pando, one thing is certain: The organism is mind-boggling!
The Pando is thought to be at least 80,000 years old, but some scientists believe it could be more than a million years old! It is difficult to name an exact number for the Pando because its trunks only live up to 150 years. A million years is an estimate based on the rate at which Aspens spread and a plausible theory. The reason for the forest’s rapid growth and spread is due to its reproduction method. Clonal groves, unlike other trees, replicate themselves i.e., clone. An intriguing aspect of this discovery is that when the scientists sequenced the genomes of a dozen Pando trees, they deduced that, while these trees had cloned, they were not exactly identical, probably something like fraternal twins!
The forest is slowly dying
The Pando has survived all these years through cloning. However, scientists are concerned that it may not be able to replicate itself fast enough. What a tragic loss it would be for the world! Scientists have discovered that most Aspen tree trunks are old, and when new shoots develop, they do not survive long enough to become full-fledged trees, reducing their population. But why can’t the shoots reach maturity now? This is because animals in the forest munch away at the shoots while they are young, preventing the shoots from growing old and thick enough to protect themselves. Fortunately, people realised this and have built fences around the forest. However, these fences seem futile when it comes to mule deer as they can easily jump over them. However, people are becoming increasingly aware and are devising methods to keep deer away from the tree by using stronger fences. One can only hope that this works!