The 5 Largest Living Things

When you think about enormous living things, mushrooms and seagrass may not be the first organisms that come to mind. But they should be!

Hosted by: Jaida Elcock (she/her)
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[hellyeah_ellajane]

As a Utahn, I gotta say: pando during the autumn is one of the most magical experiences imaginable. The aspen’s leaves turn golden and on a breezy day, they create the most calming quiver and lovely raspy noise. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience!

[gbprime]

Pando is awesome. Hiking that area is great by itself, but walking under those leaves and realizing that it is one great tree all around you is awe inspiring.

[paperip]

(Gentle correction. Pando is about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City. If you're in the Salt Lake area, it can make for a fun day trip, but unless you happen to live in the town of Koosharem, it's not the kind of place one can easily visit on a whim)

I had the fortune of having a summer job in Fish Lake National Forest fresh out of high school. I took many hikes through Pando during my off time. I knew the quakies were clones, but had no idea until years later just how significant that one patch of quiet forest was such a significant ecological wonder. Absolutely gorgeous place to visit in early fall.

[libbywiskowski]

This host is one of my favorites! The way she communicates is wonderful! Really love all the learning being had in these spaces! Thank you!

[AveryMilieu]

Coast Redwoods in Northern California are also clone plants - years ago they did some "testing" in Muir Woods using injected isotopes and found that the spread from ONE TREE (root system) was over a quarter mile in any direction. Given the size of the trees, that's a pretty big organism, wouldn't you say?

[michaelmeyers]

Cells at Work fans know our bodies are a world like Earth is to us.

[TheLetterbomber]

Pando is a favourite place of mine, when I lived in Utah I visited it a few times and it's a really special experience. I highly recommend visiting in the fall when its leaves go golden-yellow!

[_maxgray]

Blue whale: still the largest mammal! Don't worry, certacean friends, we still love you! 🐋

[Orchids.and.Endlers]

Jaida is a great host :) Energetic and clear !!

[internetexplorerpony]

"None of them are the blue whale", Alan from QI is about to suffer.

[kurczaczak]

Regarding the Gaia hypothesis, it really fits the question I asked a friend of mine recently: "You know chemical oscillators? They go back and forth, creating a nice pattern. I mean, something must be getting used up, but for a while it has moving ripples of reactants switching between one and another compound. Do you think that if we really stretch the definition of life, that could be considered the simplest form of life?"

[thatguywiththestache]

I love everything about this video thank you for making it! great quality.

[ProjectNOTOS]

Very INTERESTING video. Taking a lot of inspiration from you guys

[Omnifarious]

While I'm not really a subscriber to the Gaia hypothesis, I do believe that there are commonalities about all such interconnected complex systems that make understanding even one of them a key to understanding all of them.

[chillsahoy]

I learned about Pando from Scishow Tangents! It's such a fun podcast that doesn't get enough attention in my opinion. It made me realise that I do like poetry, as long as it's nerdy enough.

[slasamsara]

oh, yet another super host ? yes, thank you, SciShow ☺

[LorraineBilonda]

Excellent video with lots of learning and food for thought for me. And really GREAT job as host.

[gordonkennygordon]

I live here in Utah and have camped among Pando's cousins many times.
The 'herbivores' that Dr. Elcock refers to are free-range beef cattle and sheep, economically important species, but with definite - and understudied - ecological impacts. Sheep and cattle selectively browse the new shoots and when the old trunks die off the clone struggles to replace them.
There is some effort to fence off small sections of the grove to maintain islands of new growth, but I have only read about this in a research context, and I don't know if there is an organized effort afoot.
Speaking as a lover of both wilderness AND steak, I recognize the need to find a balance, so I'm not advocating for one side or another, necessarily. My hope is that shows like this one will spur continued and continuing research into how we fit into the global ecology and how we can make the best choices in this outrageously complex [really complex thing metaphor here].

Peace!

[jamesleatherwood]

Great video Jaida! Your presentation style has relaxed. Good to see! I look forward to more of your viddys!

[Agaures]

Humongous Fungus mention has my Yooper ears perking up!