Scientists recorded the sound of Pando, the “forest of a single tree” that is said to be the world’s largest living organism. The forest is made up of 47,000 stems that are genetically identical and have the same root structure, according to The Guardian. Pando, which in Latin means “I spread,” covers 100 acres. The organism, which has a dry weight of 6,000 metric tonnes and is thought to be thousands of years old, is the largest living thing on Earth. Now, a sound artist has been able to capture the acoustic portrait of Pando using hydrophones. “This project began with a question: what is the sound of one of the world’s largest organisms,” said sound artist Jeff Rice, while presenting his findings at the 184th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Chicago.
In order to prove the sound wasn’t resonating through the ground, a suitable experimental setup would be necessary
The endeavor was a component of a creative endeavor on which Mr. Rice collaborated with Lance Oditt, the brainchild of the nonprofit organization Friends of Pando. According to the musician, “I recorded pretty much everything that I could possibly record,” The recordings, he continued, also feature the noises of foxes, birds, leaves, and even ants crawling across the trees. Rice picked up a whisper in one of the recordings that echoed through the roots of Pando. “What you’re hearing I think, is the sound of millions of leaves in the forest, vibrating the tree and passing down through the branches, down into the earth,” said Mr Rice.
According to Science Alert, the hydrophone was inserted into a void at the end of a branch and threaded all the way to the tree’s roots. Additionally, it recorded the tapping on a branch 90 feet away. According to the publication, this bolstered the idea that Pando’s root system is connected. It was clarified, nevertheless, that in order to prove the sound wasn’t resonating through the ground, a suitable experimental setup would be necessary.
