Pando, in Utah, looks like a grove of about 47,000 aspen trees. They all share one root system and the same DNA. Together it weighs an estimated 6,000 tonnes.
Truth label: Established. Strong evidence and broad agreement among experts.
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How old?
Estimates vary widely, from thousands of years to far more. It is certainly ancient.
Shrinking
Grazing deer and cattle eat new shoots, so the grove is slowly thinning.
Learn
- Clonal colonies. Aspens spread by sending up new stems from their roots, so one organism can cover a whole hillside.
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What do Pando's trees share?
One root system. They are all one connected organism.
Sources
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