Who do you think is the largest living organism in the world? Many people will answer without hesitation that this is a blue whale, whose body length reaches 33 meters and weighs more than 150 tons. Indeed, this is the largest creature in the animal kingdom, which has no competitors. But do not forget that plants and mushrooms are also alive, because they grow, develop, feed, react to stimuli, and even communicate with each other in their own way. Taking this into account, one of the largest organisms on Earth is the Pando poplar grove, which is located in the American state of Utah. It consists of almost 5 thousand trees with the same DNA, which cover an area of 40 hectares (400,000 square meters). In 1968, scientists noticed that all these trees behaved the same way, and recently they were able to record the sounds that this huge organism makes.
One of the largest organisms “lives” in Utah and weighs 6,000 tons
The heaviest organism in the world
According to the scientific publication Science Alert, the huge Pando Grove consists of 47,000 aspen poplar trunks (Populus tremuloides). These trees can grow up to 35 meters in length and were used during Soviet times for landscaping.
A poplar colony in Utah. Photo source: 22century.ru
The results of scientific research have shown that all the trees from the Pando forest have a common root system and are identical at the genetic level. That is why it is considered a single living organism, which is one of the largest on Earth. According to scientists,the total mass of all poplars is about 6000 tons, and the age of the Pando forest is 80 thousand years.
It is important to note that scientists have not yet come to a consensus about how old the Pando forest is. Some sources say that it began to grow 80 thousand years ago, and others – 12 thousand years ago.
The most ancient forest in the world: what trees grew in it?< /p>
Scientists have recorded the sound of trees
In 2023, the organizers of the environmental project Friends of Pando did the incredible – they were able to record what the Pando forest sounds like from the inside. We can hear the rustling of leaves and the creaking of trunks with our own ears, but to penetrate into the depths of the trees we had to use special equipment.
Specialists exposed the space between the roots of the trees and placed hydrophones in them. This is the name given to special microphones usually used to record sounds underwater. But the authors of the scientific work explained that these devices do not necessarily need water to operate, and they perfectly capture vibrations emanating from the roots of plants.
The boundaries of the Pando forest from a bird's eye view. Image credit: Lance Oditt/Friends of Pando
The researchers were able to record a low hum that became noticeably louder during the thunderstorm. They explained that it was vibration from millions of leaves throughout the vast forest. The hydrophone was also able to pick up a knocking sound at a distance of about 30 meters that was not audible in the air. Scientists considered this further evidence that all the trees in the Pando grove are interconnected and transmit sounds better than air. There is a small chance that the sound was transmitted through the soil, so scientists want to conduct additional research.
The sounds of the Pando forest could not be found, but this is how other trees sound from the inside
Initially, recording the deep sounds of the Pando forest was just an art project. But the authors also found scientific potential in this – they will be able to study how trees interact with each other. Science still doesn't know much about plants, so this is a very good start. It was only in 2024 that scientists were able to record on video how plants communicate. This is a must see!
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The largest mycelium in the world
You could Note that throughout the article we have called the Pando forest one of the largest living organisms on Earth. But we didn't call it the largest, because there is something much bigger.
Huge mycelium in Oregon. Photo source: 22century.ru
The largest living organism in the worldis considered to be the mycelium of the dark honey fungus (Armillaria ostoyae). It grows in the US state of Oregon and covers an area of 880 hectares, which is equal to 8.8 million square meters. The age of this mycelium is estimated at 2.4 thousand years.
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Some people call this organism a “monster honey fungus,” and the reason is not only its gigantic size. The fact is that it penetrates into the roots of trees and causes their death. It was thanks to the mass death of trees that scientists managed to find this organism, most of which is hidden under the earth's surface. If you are interested, we will definitely tell you about this mushroom monster in one of our next articles. Subscribe to our Telegram channel so you don't miss it!