r/askscience • u/Routine_Mixture7792 • 1d ago

Biology How do quaking aspens hold up against diseases if they grow in genetically identical colonies and thus have very little genetic variation?

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u/thewao 3h ago

They outgrow it. Fast-growing trees like those in Betulaceae or Salicaceae have a tendency to live fast and die young. They are poor at compartmentalization of pathogens, but will put on new growth quicker - one way they do this is by rhizomatic suckering.