Curio Cabinet

Wood you look at that? The world’s largest living organism is Pando, a network of quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) in Utah. Now, a group of researchers believe that it might also be the oldest living thing, according to a new paper (though it hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet.) When most people think of big living things, they might imagine leviathans like blue whales or long-gone beasts like dinosaurs. However, the truth is weirder. Located in south-central Utah, Pando Aspen Grove consists of 47,000 individual aspen trees on the surface. Underneath, however, they’re all connected by a single root system, and every tree is mostly genetically identical. That's because this species of aspen reproduces asexually, creating a clone of itself that is still connected to the same root system. Essentially, the individual organism is a forest unto itself. This trait also makes it tricky for scientists to accurately age Pando, and estimates have ranged anywhere between a few thousand years to a few million. In the latest attempt to age the aspens, researchers collected 500 pieces of roots, leaves, and bark and compared it to other species of aspen by sequencing their DNA. They then identified around 4,000 genetic variations in Pando that came about over time due to mutations as it cloned itself. Researchers expected trees that were close to each other to have more of these variations in common, revealing a spatial signal, but they didn’t necessarily find this to be the case. The spatial signal was weaker than expected, perhaps indicating that Pando has some way of protecting its genome, but based on one of their models, the researchers believe that Pando could be anywhere between 16,000 and 80,000 years old. While that is a far cry from the millions of years some have suggested, it’s still far older than the oldest solitary tree, a 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine in California. Imagine being able to call a five-millennia-old tree a whippersnapper.

[Image description: A grove of quaking aspen trees in Zion National Park, in Utah.] Credit & copyright: U.S. National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons. This image or media file contains material based on a work of a National Park Service employee, created as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work is in the public domain in the United States. Original Source.

Here’s a critter that seems permanently dressed for fall. With their beautiful auburn coats that perfectly match falling leaves, it’s no wonder that red foxes have come to be associated with autumn. That’s not the only reason for the fox-to-fall connection, though. Like many North American mammals, red foxes are particularly active in the fall as they stock up on calories ahead of the cold winter. This means that people tend to spot them more frequently during the fall, and thus they became conflated with the season itself. The truth is, red foxes are fascinating animals all year long.
 
Red foxes are the largest fox species in the world, and the most widely distributed. They’re found throughout the northern hemisphere in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Red foxes are also highly adaptable, meaning that they’re able to live in a variety of environments within their range. A red fox can thrive in open fields, forests, or even in urban areas by scavenging through humans’ trash and eating common urban pests like mice and rats. They can also adapt to various weather conditions. Red foxes living further north may grow longer, thicker coats in the winter, while foxes in warmer environments maintain short coats and use their large ears to disperse heat from their bodies.
 
It is thought that red foxes evolved in the Middle East or in what is now China around 3.4 to 1.8 million years ago. The species’ ancestor was either Vulpes alopecoides or V. chikushanensis, both of which were smaller than the modern red fox and are now extinct. Some scientists believe that red foxes then crossed from Eurasia to North America over a land bridge that once existed across the Bering Strait. These red foxes mainly stayed in the northernmost parts of North America. Then, in the mid-1700s, European colonists introduced red foxes to the Eastern U.S. so that they could continue the sport of fox hunting in their new home. These red foxes interbred with other, native North American species, like Gray foxes and Swift foxes, and eventually came to live just about everywhere within the continental U.S.
 
Modern red foxes are active all year, meaning that even those who live in very cold areas don’t hibernate through the winter. Instead, they make use of their excellent hearing to locate prey, like mice and voles, under snow. Although red foxes dig dens during mating season to protect their pups, adult foxes tend to live out in the open, using their thick tails to curl over their bodies for warmth. Despite being successful predators, red foxes still have to worry about becoming prey themselves when it comes to larger predators like wolves, coyotes, bears, and mountain lions. Humans also have a long history of hunting red foxes for their fur, and deforestation is dangerous to the species as a whole. Luckily, there are still plenty of red foxes around, and the species isn’t considered threatened or endangered. It’s testament to the impressive, year-round, multi-climate survival skills of these tenacious canines.

 
[Image description: A red fox standing in snow with its head lowered.] Credit & copyright: Joanne Redwood/jem9redwood, Wikimedia Commons via iNaturalist. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Here’s a deep dive into some big news from the sea. A National Geographic expedition diving the waters around the Solomon Islands have discovered the largest coral in the world, and it breaks the record by a large margin. It’s a wonder it hadn’t been noticed before, because it’s apparently big enough to be seen from space. The massive coral is the size of a blue whale, nearly three times larger than the previous record holder. That one, named “Big Momma,: is located near American Samoa and is “only” as long as a giraffe. The newly discovered coral, which belongs to the Pavona clavus species, apparently consists of over a billion individual polyps and was initially mistaken for a shipwreck by the diver who spotted it.
 
What’s not surprising is its location. Found near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean and near the border of the Coral Sea, the area boasts the second most diverse coral population in the world with over 490 known species. Aside from its size, the coral is also an incredible find as climate change and warming oceans are devastating reefs worldwide. Despite its size, even this record-breaking coral isn’t safe from the effects of climate change, and that could spell disaster for coastal communities and the marine life supported by the coral. Healthy reefs help mitigate the effects of powerful storms by acting as underwater barriers against large waves, and their absence could accelerate erosion in coastal regions. Climate change isn’t the only threat this particular reef faces, either. Logging accounts for up to 70 percent of the country’s export revenue each year, and the industry is responsible for high amounts of water pollution that has been damaging the coral in the region. Here’s hoping this discovery prompts strong protections for this absolute unit of a reef.

 
[Image description: A close-up photo of the surface of water.] Credit & copyright: Matt Hardy, Pexels