Researchers have used DNA samples from Pando, a massive quaking aspen tree in Utah, to determine the tree’s age and track its evolutionary history. Pando, with its 47,000 stems spanning 42.6 hectares, is between 16,000 and 80,000 years old and cannot sexually reproduce due to being triploid. Despite generating genetically identical clones, researchers found nearly 4,000 genetic variants that have evolved over millennia. Surprisingly, the genetic patterns of the tree reveal that physically close stems do not necessarily share more genetic mutations. The study’s findings suggest that plants like Pando have protective mechanisms to preserve their genomes.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03570-4