Scientists confirm that the trembling aspen forest known as Pando in Utah is estimated to be between 16,000 and 80,000 years old, making it one of the oldest living organisms on Earth.
The Pando forest is essentially a single living entity generated by a root system that has cloned itself tens of thousands of times. Spanning 42.6 hectares in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah, Pando consists of approximately 47,000 individual stems connected by a massive root system, according to Newsweek.
The trembling aspen forest Pando in Utah. (Photo: Newsweek).
“If you visit Pando, it looks like an ordinary forest,” said William Ratcliff, an evolutionary biologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and co-author of the study. “But while individual trees live for about 200 years, they continuously regenerate new trees from the root system.”
What makes Pando truly unique is its genetic makeup. It is a triploid organism, meaning its cells contain three copies of each chromosome instead of the usual two. This unusual characteristic prevents Pando from reproducing sexually with other trees; instead, it produces perfect clones of itself. However, these clones are not entirely identical. As cells divide, they can accumulate genetic mutations, creating slightly different variants, providing scientists with valuable insights into the tree’s evolutionary history.
By analyzing DNA samples in a multi-year study, the research team collected from roots, bark, leaves, and branches throughout the forest, identifying nearly 4,000 genetic variants that emerged during millennia of cloning. Findings published in the bioRxiv database reveal a surprising pattern in how these mutations spread throughout the forest.
While researchers initially predicted that trees located closer together would share more genetic similarities, the relationship between distance and genetic similarity was weaker than expected, according to Rozenn Pineau, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Chicago. The study’s results indicate that if two trees are chosen from far apart in the forest, they are likely to be genetically similar to two trees that are situated close together. This pattern holds true until the distance between two trees is less than 15 meters. The researchers suggest that Pando’s triploid nature may contribute to larger cells and greater health, with protective mechanisms helping the trees prevent the accumulation of harmful genetic mutations.
This study marks a significant advancement in understanding Pando, one of nature’s wonders. “This organism has existed for tens of thousands of years. It has witnessed multiple ice ages, numerous mass extinction events, and it is still there. Its existence is a testament to a rare resilience in nature,” Ratcliff remarked.
