In the Wasatch Mountains of the western United States, the largest organism on Earth has been hiding on the slopes above a lake for more than 14,000 years.. It weighs about 6,000 metric tons, making it the largest organism in the world. Now scientists have made an alarming discovery - the body is literally being eaten alive, writes Science Alert.

We're talking about Pando, which looks like an ordinary forest of individual trees with bright white bark and small leaves blowing in the wind, but is actually 47,000 genetically identical stems growing from an interconnected network. Researchers believe that Pando has been around for about 14,000 years and covers an area of \u200b\u200babout 43 hectares..

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Aspens form clonal stands in other places, but Pando is unique for its enormous size. Most of these clonal aspen stands in North America are much smaller, averaging about 1.2 hectares in the western United States..

Previous studies have suggested that Pando is about 14,000 years old, but most trunks only live about 130 years. And yet, this organism's longevity and remoteness represent an ecosystem of 68 plant species, and many animals have evolved and thrived in Pando's shadow.

As a result, this entire huge system depends on the aspen staying healthy.. Today, Pando is protected by the US National Forest Service and is not threatened by logging, but scientists are alarmed that Pando is vulnerable due to a number of other factors..

One of the main problems for Pando is overgrazing by deer and elk. Wolves and cougars once controlled the numbers of these animals, but their herds have increased significantly as the predators disappeared.

Pando also attracts deer and elk, as the protection the forest receives protects them from hunting. When old trees die or fall, light reaches the forest floor, which stimulates the growth of new clonal stems, but when these elk and deer eat the tops of the newly formed stems, they die. This means that there is little new growth in large areas of Pando.

In simple terms, the largest organism on Earth is actually being eaten alive. Luckily, there is one area that was fenced off decades ago to save dying trees.. Researchers have eliminated deer and elk from the area, resulting in successful regeneration of new clonal stems today, with dense growth known as a "

According to Richard Elton Walton, a research fellow in biology at Newcastle University, old Pando stele also suffer from at least three diseases:.

Although plant diseases have evolved and thrived in aspen stands for thousands of years, it is unknown what the long-term effects on the ecosystem might be, given the lack of new growth and an ever-growing list of other pressures on the clonal giant.

Another threat, according to scientists, is climate change. Pando arose after the end of the last ice age and has dealt with a largely stable climate ever since.. Of course, it lives in an alpine region surrounded by desert, which means it is no stranger to high temperatures or droughts. But climate change threatens the tree's size and lifespan, as well as the entire ecosystem it hosts.

However, Pando is incredibly resilient and has previously survived rapid environmental changes, especially when European settlers began settling the area in the 19th century.. Then came the rise of recreational activities in the 20th century. Throughout its history, Pando has also faced disease, wildfires, grazing, and officially remains the world's largest scientifically documented organism..

Previously, Focus wrote that scientists recorded the sounds made by the largest and oldest living organism on Earth.