largest living organism - Pando - Aspen trees

[masraum]

Pretty cool video.

An aspen forest may all be one organism that clones by sending up new trees from roots that have spread. There's one named "Pando" that is currently the largest known. He mentions another one in the video. He also compares it to the "humongous fungus" in Oregon that is also huge, but has less mass because it's mushrooms.

[john70t]

@7min they installed an extensive fence to 'keep people out'.
Where do the animals go in a forest fire?

Other interesting foliage: https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/oldest-tallest-biggest-trees

[masraum]

Originally Posted by john70t

@7min they installed an extensive fence to 'keep people out'.
Where do the animals go in a forest fire?

Other interesting foliage: https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/oldest-tallest-biggest-trees

No idea. Maybe the fence was built to allow small animals to pass through the gaps and larger animals can jump over. I think he did discuss the fact that the area has been monitored to prevent forest fires which is actually a bit of a problem because forest fires actually promote growth of these huge aspen groves. I think they said that ~90 of the ~100 acres is fenced to keep people from causing issues.

[john70t]

Thanks for the link. Never thought of nature that way. A new world. I haven't traveled that area of the nation and probably never will.

I just saw a possible flaw in the 'good-intentioned' logic.
Or else tens of thousands of native wildlife creatures would be lost due to 'good-intentions'.
Hopefully that has been already considered..

Humans can do much harm. And good.
That has already happened with preservation of hunting grounds and natural preserves
If critters are going to die, they should be eaten by other critters instead.

[LWJ]

I love stuff like this! Need to go and check out the fungus some day. Don't know what I will do or anything. It is just cool.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LWJ

I love stuff like this! Need to go and check out the fungus some day. Don't know what I will do or anything. It is just cool.

I think IIRC that most of the fungus is underground as mycelium. So the humongous fungus is similar to these huge aspen groves, a ton of mushrooms for something like several miles, where all of the mushrooms in the area are actually all connected to one huge "root" (mycelium) structure.

Still, despite not looking like much, it's very cool.

[Crowbob]

https://www.science.org/content/article/humongous-fungus-almost-big-mall-america



‘But even with its new size estimate, the Michigan fungus has already been eclipsed by a different Armillaria in Oregon, discovered in 1998. That one, now the largest organism in the world, may be more than 8000 years old and covers more than 770 hectares.’

1 hectare =2.471 acres

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

https://www.science.org/content/article/humongous-fungus-almost-big-mall-america



‘But even with its new size estimate, the Michigan fungus has already been eclipsed by a different Armillaria in Oregon, discovered in 1998. That one, now the largest organism in the world, may be more than 8000 years old and covers more than 770 hectares.’

1 hectare =2.471 acres

I think in the video, the guy said that the humongous fungus was in Oregon, so that's the one that he referenced. The only reason that he said that "Pando" the aspen forest was larger was because the aspen forest is more massive (albeit covering a much smaller area).

[Crowbob]

The guy should be more precise. He said Pando is the largest. But he also said the fungus consumes more land area than Pando.

So though it may be more massive, it isn’t the largest. Also, nobody said anything AFAIK about the weight of the respective organisms.

I could see the fungus, at over 2,000 acres and mostly made of water, possibly being heavier than Pando.

Thing is, there’s not much drama in sleeping on the ground because an enormous fungus is amungus that you can’t even see.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

The guy should be more precise. He said Pando is the largest. But he also said the fungus consumes more land area than Pando.

So though it may be more massive, it isn’t the largest. Also, nobody said anything AFAIK about the weight of the respective organisms.

I could see the fungus, at over 2,000 acres and mostly made of water, possibly being heavier than Pando.

Thing is, there’s not much drama in sleeping on the ground because an enormous fungus is amungus that you can’t even see.

Mushrooms are generally pretty light, and the mycelium is like super fine roots. Enough of them could weigh a lot, but may not amount to much. I suspect any real comparison is based on scientifically derived best guesses. And it seems like Aspen trees are similar except via roots which are, I suspect MUCH larger than mycelium.

If you look up "largest" trees, you get the same conundrum.

coastal redwood trees are taller, but the redwoods that are farther inland are more massive.

So who's bigger, Manute Bol at 7'7" and 200# or 7'1" 325# Shaq? Either could be "bigger" considering what you mean when you say "bigger".

[john70t]

I'm sensing a fight to the death over where the biggest tree is.

But otherwise seriously good stuff.
Would love to travel there and see the parts of this country still unknown.
Totally jelly of Skippy and his beautiful travel lifestyle and pics. Keep em coming.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by john70t

I'm sensing a fight to the death over where the biggest tree is.

But otherwise seriously good stuff.
Would love to travel there and see the parts of this country still unknown.
Totally jelly of Skippy and his beautiful travel lifestyle and pics. Keep em coming.

LOL!



Yes, to Skip's adventures! The missus and I have seen a little bit of WA, and both love it. It's one of the most beautiful places in the US that I've seen, and Skip keeps reinforcing that opinion.