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User:Tmp1071/Populus tremuloides

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Lead

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Ecology

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As all trees in a given clonal colony are considered part of the same organism. One clonal colony, named Pando, is considered the heaviest[1] and oldest[2] living organism on the planet. Pando spans across 43 hectares, weighs six million kilograms, and is perhaps 80,000 years old[3].

The leaves of the quaking aspen and other species in the genus Populus serve as food for caterpillars of various moths and butterflies[4].

Dieback

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Close-up of aspen bark

Increased mortality in trembling aspen stands have been reported since the early 1990s across North America[5]. This increased dieback has been linked to multiple stressors, such as defoliation by the forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), wood-boring beetles such as the poplar borer (Saperda calcarata) and the bronze poplar borer (Agrilus liragus), and fungal disturbances such as those by the Cytospora canker (Valsa sordida)[6][5].

Increased mortality has also been linked in turn to climate change. Thaw-freeze events and light snowfall in late winter as a result of increased temperatures has led to increased dieback in Southern and Western Canda[5]. Furthermore, climate records show that historically, most periods of aspen decline have been paired with periods of severe drought, which has worsened in recent years due to a changing climate[7]. Many stands of aspen that have been affected by climate change in recent years have poor regeneration potential, leading to concerns of widespread loss of aspen cover in the future[7].

References

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  1. ^ Mitton, Jeffry B.; Grant, Michael C. (1996–2001). "Genetic Variation and the Natural History of Quaking Aspen". BioScience. 46 (1): 25–31. doi:10.2307/1312652. ISSN 0006-3568.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  2. ^ Jenkins, Michael (1993-01-01). "Fire Histoy Determination in the Mixed Conifer/Aspen Community of Bryce Canyon National Park". The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports. 17: 31–35. doi:10.13001/uwnpsrc.1993.3135. ISSN 2693-2407.
  3. ^ Rogers, Paul (2022-03-01). "Pando Aspen 2021 Remeasure". Browse all Datasets. doi:10.26078/8agw-0368.
  4. ^ Lindroth, Richard L.; St. Clair, Samuel B. (2013-07-01). "Adaptations of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) for defense against herbivores". Forest Ecology and Management. Resilience in Quaking Aspen: restoring ecosystem processes through applied science. 299: 14–21. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2012.11.018. ISSN 0378-1127.
  5. ^ a b c Hogg, E H; Brandt, James P; Kochtubajda, B (2002-05-01). "Growth and dieback of aspen forests in northwestern Alberta, Canada, in relation to climate and insects". Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 32 (5): 823–832. doi:10.1139/x01-152. ISSN 0045-5067.
  6. ^ Worrall, James J.; Egeland, Leanne; Eager, Thomas; Mask, Roy A.; Johnson, Erik W.; Kemp, Philip A.; Shepperd, Wayne D. (2008-03-20). "Rapid mortality of Populus tremuloides in southwestern Colorado, USA". Forest Ecology and Management. 255 (3): 686–696. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.09.071. ISSN 0378-1127.
  7. ^ a b Worrall, James J.; Rehfeldt, Gerald E.; Hamann, Andreas; Hogg, Edward H.; Marchetti, Suzanne B.; Michaelian, Michael; Gray, Laura K. (2013-07-01). "Recent declines of Populus tremuloides in North America linked to climate". Forest Ecology and Management. Resilience in Quaking Aspen: restoring ecosystem processes through applied science. 299: 35–51. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2012.12.033. ISSN 0378-1127.