Pando, Utah’s “trembling giant,” challenges our understanding of the natural world as the largest tree by weight, species, and land mass. With a root system consisting of around 47,000 genetically identical stems, Pando forms a vast grove of trees that share a single massive root system, making it one of the Earth’s oldest living organisms.
Unveiling the Acoustic Portrait of Pando
At the 184th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in May 2023, audio engineer Jeff Rice and Lance Oditt, the executive director of Friends of Pando, presented their innovative project: an “acoustic portrait” of Pando. Their work aimed to capture the sounds of Pando’s ecosystem, shedding light on its unique characteristics and life cycle.
Rice, with his background in wildlife recording, used various microphones to capture the sounds of Pando’s leaves, birds, and weather during his residency with Friends of Pando in 2022. While these sounds are captivating in themselves, Rice emphasized their practical significance in documenting the health of Pando’s environment and serving as a baseline for measuring environmental changes.
Exploring Vibrations Through Pando’s Roots
One of the most intriguing aspects of Pando is the transmission of vibrations through its vast root system, especially during windstorms. Rice and Oditt utilized hydrophones to explore this phenomenon, placing them strategically to detect vibrations passing through the ground.
Their experiments revealed promising results, suggesting that vibrations can indeed travel through Pando’s root system. The recorded sounds during windstorms and other environmental conditions provided valuable insights into the inner workings of Pando’s ecosystem, hinting at its hidden hydraulic system and other interconnected processes.
Implications for Science and Conservation
While their project initially aimed at creating an artistic representation of Pando’s soundscape, Rice and Oditt recognized its broader scientific implications. The data gathered from their acoustic exploration could contribute significantly to understanding Pando’s water movement, branch arrays, insect colonies, and root depth, areas that remain poorly understood.
By unraveling the acoustic world of Pando, researchers hope to gain new insights into its ecology and enhance conservation efforts to protect this remarkable natural wonder.
