https://sciencenorway.no/dna-forests-trees/worlds-oldest-tree-still-growing-near-the-norwegian-swedish-border/2037756 [p] Discover our other sites: * * * * [forskning_] Norske og internasjonale forskningsnyheter [ung_logo] Forskningsnyheter for unge [sciencenor] Science news from Norway in English [partner_lo] Science news from Norway in English [forskerson] Meninger, debatt og blogger skrevet av forskere [blogg_logo] Meninger, debatt og blogger skrevet av forskere [stilling_l] Forskning.nos stillingsmarked Sciencenorway.no * Health * Society * Environment * Natural Sciences * Researchers' Zone [ ] You might be looking for... * Health + Covid-19 + Food + Exercise + Sleep * Society + Work + Sexuality + Children and youth + School and education + History + Archeology + Vikings * Environment + Climate change + Green energy + Pollution * Natural Science + Physics + Space + Animals + Ocean + Fish * Researchers' Zone + Opinion + Share your science * Advertise with us * Learn to write * Contact us * About us Oppdag vare andre nettsteder: * * * * forskning.no. logo Norske og internasjonale forskningsnyheter ung.forskning.no. logo Forskningsnyheter for unge sciencenorway.no. logo Science news from Norway in English partner.sciencenorway.no. logo Science news from Norway in English forskersonen.no. logo Meninger, debatt og blogger skrevet av forskere blogg.forskning.no. logo Meninger, debatt og blogger skrevet av forskere stilling.forskning.no. logo Forskning.nos stillingsmarked Annonse Annonse Annonse Annonse Annonse Annonse Annonse The small spruce tree Old Tjikko still survives on Fulufjallet in Sweden near the border with Norway. The small spruce tree Old Tjikko still survives on Fulufjallet in Sweden near the border with Norway. (Photo: TTphoto / Shutterstock / NTB) World's oldest tree still growing near the Norwegian-Swedish border The nearly 10 000-year-old spruce tree is only five metres tall, but it began to grow just after the last ice age ended. [1919300] Bard Amundsen JOURNALIST friday 10. June 2022 - 12:22 Not many years ago, Norwegian schoolchildren learned that spruce trees came to Norway from the east between 2 000 and 3 000 years ago. But ten years ago, researchers at Umea University in Sweden discovered a tree up on Fulufjallet - in Sweden just east of Trysil municipality in Norway. The tree turned out to be 9 500 years old. The researchers decided to name the tree after Tjikko, the dog that was with them on the trip when they found the spruce specimen. The tree was thus named Old Tjikko. New DNA studies carried out by researchers at Uppsala University now show that the very first spruce trees may have come to southern Sweden as early as 14 700 years ago. In other words, the spruce put down roots here just after the ice from the last ice age had started retreating. Annonse Joined the land uplift after the ice age "Our results indicate that the spruce followed the edge of the ice cover and wandered northward," researcher Laura Parducci tells the Swedish journal Forskning & Framsteg. The spruce trees have always stayed below the tree line of approximately 1 000 metres. The reason why Old Tjikko now finds itself on the barren rock near Trysil - more than a hundred metres higher than what is considered the tree line - is simply that the spruce tree rose along with the mountain it grows on during the land uplift that followed the ice age. Parducci and her colleagues published an article in the journal Nature Communication, reporting that they found the same genes in spruce trees growing below Fulufjallet as Old Tjikko has. "When Old Tjikko started to grow, it was at a significantly lower elevation than today. But once a spruce tree has taken root, it's robust and can survive higher than the tree line. This is partly because spruces multiply through their root shoots," says the Uppsala researcher. * RELATED: Is there primeval forest in Norway, and what does an old forest actually look like? Found several old trees Ten years ago, researchers at Umea University conducted four carbon-14 datings of wood remains they found around Old Tjikko. The results show the datings to be 375, 5 660, 9 000 and 9 550 years old. All four samples were found to come from a single tree. Today Old Tjikko's tree trunk is only five metres high. Although the spruce may have had many such trunks over the millennia, the tree's root system has survived all these years. No part of today's living tree is as old as 9 500 years, but genetically, the tree is exactly the same individual as when it began to germinate. The researchers later found around 20 trees in mountain areas in northern Sweden and central Sweden, all of which are more than 8 000 years old. The Old Rasmus tree that the researchers also found may be just as old as Old Tjikko. The Old Rasmus tree that the researchers also found may be just as old as Old Tjikko. (Photo: Pontus Schroder / Shutterstock / NTB) Carbon-14 dating Parducci and her colleagues conclude in their new study that the spruce tree probably entered Scandinavia from the east more than 14 000 years ago. Old Tjikko and Old Rasmus were part of this first wave of spruces that began to move west and north. Annonse She explains to Forskning & Framsteg that the previous miscalculation of the spruce's shorter presence in Scandinavia came about due to a different aging method. This method estimated the age of the spruce's entry into the Nordic countries based on pollen found in bogs. Now the researchers believe that their DNA studies will enable them to confirm that the spruce could have come to the Nordic countries already 14 700 years ago. Carbon-14 dating Carbon-14 dating is a method for determining the age of carbonaceous material such as limestone shells from animals, peat and charcoal with a radioactive isotope of the carbon element 14C. The method is useful for estimating ages from a few hundred to about 30 000 years old. Source: Store norske leksikon Where did the spruce tree come from? Where the spruce came from when it established itself in Scandinavia after the ice age is still uncertain. Could the spruce trees have simply survived the ice age in small ice-free pockets in the Nordic countries? In a DNA study a few years ago, professor Inger Greve Alsos and her colleagues at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway found to their surprise that spruce trees might have actually survived the ice age in just such a pocket at the northern end of the island Andoya, in northern Nordland county. They found 15 000 to 20 000-year-old DNA from pine and spruce trees at the bottom of a lake on Andoya, when the last ice age was at its coldest. The researchers have also found 10 300-year-old DNA from spruce in Nord-Trondelag. Parducci and her colleagues do not deny that Old Tsjikko's ancestry might stem from Andoya. But they lean more towards the idea that the spruce trees that migrated to the Nordic countries when the ice age came to an end came from ice-free areas east or south of the large ice sheet that covered Scandinavia. Translated by: Ingrid P. Nuse References: Kevin Nota et.al: Norway spruce postglacial recolonization of Fennoscandia. Nature Communications, 2022. Mats Karlsson: Old Tjikko var en av urgranarna (Old Tjikko was one of the ancient spruces). Research & Progress, 2022. The Research Council of Norway's project bank: Ancient DNA of NW Europe reveals responses to climate change (Did trees grow on Andoya during the last ice age?). ------ Read the Norwegian version of this article at forskning.no Subscribe to our newsletter for more exciting science news natural sciences trees forests dna Annonse Climate expert: Norwegians do not understand how dangerous these heat waves are Climate expert: Norwegians do not understand how dangerous these heat waves are Prisoner of war Roar Antonsen smuggled letters and shoes out of Grini prison camp during World War II Prisoner of war Roar Antonsen smuggled letters and shoes out of Grini prison camp during World War II "The feeling of regret is there for a reason" "The feeling of regret is there for a reason" For a long time, women have lived much longer than men in Norway. Now men are catching up For a long time, women have lived much longer than men in Norway. Now men are catching up Where does all the dust come from? Where does all the dust come from? After the mass shooting in Oslo: "I started to feel like I had to hide my rainbow bracelet" After the mass shooting in Oslo: "I started to feel like I had to hide my rainbow bracelet" This gold ring once belonged to a powerful Viking Chief. It was found in a pile of cheap jewellery auctioned off online This gold ring once belonged to a powerful Viking Chief. It was found in a pile of cheap jewellery auctioned off online This hat marked the beginning of Norwegian national costumes - the bunads This hat marked the beginning of Norwegian national costumes - the bunads Nofima The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Need to optimise treatment against gill disease Need to optimise treatment against gill disease NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology How can deficits be avoided at major sporting events? How can deficits be avoided at major sporting events? University of Oslo The flight attendant and the lawyer who took the fight for equal pay to the EU The flight attendant and the lawyer who took the fight for equal pay to the EU NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology Fish are dying in dry Norwegian rivers Fish are dying in dry Norwegian rivers Russian threats to the maritime delimitation line in the Barents Sea should be taken seriously says researcher Russian threats to the maritime delimitation line in the Barents Sea should be taken seriously says researcher Norwegians consume 25 per cent more than the average EU citizen - at some of the highest prices Norwegians consume 25 per cent more than the average EU citizen - at some of the highest prices Biological sex: What kind of variations exist in nature? Biological sex: What kind of variations exist in nature? Most Norwegians are overweight or obese Most Norwegians are overweight or obese This is how you can prevent food allergies in your children This is how you can prevent food allergies in your children LGBT rights and the Oslo terror attack: This is about whether or not to accept human rights at all LGBT rights and the Oslo terror attack: This is about whether or not to accept human rights at all Why you should definitely go to a festival this summer Why you should definitely go to a festival this summer One of the most famous acts of sabotage during WWII happened in the basement of this building. Now it's open to the public One of the most famous acts of sabotage during WWII happened in the basement of this building. Now it's open to the public EU-study: One in four Norwegians do not believe that climate change is caused by humans EU-study: One in four Norwegians do not believe that climate change is caused by humans Passion fruit may slow down Alzheimer's Passion fruit may slow down Alzheimer's Monks had to remain silent whilst they ate, so they invented a sign language Monks had to remain silent whilst they ate, so they invented a sign language Children who are exclusively breastfed lack iodine Children who are exclusively breastfed lack iodine About Sciencenorway.no Sciencenorway.no brings you science news from Norway. This is the English version of forskning.no, Norway's independent, online newspaper on science. Privacy policy ScienceNorway.no follows the Norwegian Editor's Code and the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press. Contact us Editor-in-chief: Aksel Kjaer Vidnes +47 922 47 741 / [email protected] Assistant editor: Ida Irene Bergstrom [email protected] Ads and market: Preben Forberg +47 413 10 879 / [email protected] Address: Sandakerveien 24 C / D3, Oslo, Norway Follow us /Sciencenorway.no @Sciencenorwayno /forskning.no Owners of Sciencenorway.no and forskning.no * Akvaplan-niva * BI Norwegian Business School * Department of Mental Health Research and Development, Division of Mental Health and Addiction | Vestre Viken Health Trust * Directorate for Higher Education and Skills * FHF - Norwegian Seafood Research Fund * Geological Survey of Norway * Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences * Innlandet Hospital trust * Institute for Rural and Regional Research * Institute for Social Research * Institute of Marine Research (IMR) * Kristiania University College * KS Research and development * Molde University College * National Library of Norway * NHH Norwegian School of Economics * NIKU - Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research * NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research * NLA University College * Nofima * NOKUT Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education * Nord University * Nordland Research Institute * Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (NBIC) * Norwegian Cancer Society * Norwegian Centre for E-health Research * Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture * Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS) * Norwegian Computing Center * Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) * Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) * Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) * Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) * Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health * Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Women's Health * Norwegian National Association for Public Health * Norwegian Polar Institute * Norwegian School of Sports Sciences * Norwegian Space Agency * Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) * Norwegian Veterinary Institute * NSD - Norwegian centre for research data * NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology * Oral Health Centres of Expertise * Oslo Metropolitan University * R&D management, Norwegian Public Roads Administration * Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway (RBUP) * Simula Research Laboratory * SINTEF * Telemark Research Institute (TRI) * The Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) * The Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research * The Fram Centre * The Narvik War and Peace Centre * The Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development (NUBU) * The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies * The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute * The Norwegian Meteorological Institute * The Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees * The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment * The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate * The Regional Research Funds in Norway * The Research Council of Norway * The University Centre in Svalbard * UiT The Arctic University of Norway * University College of Norwegian Correctional Service * University of Agder * University of Bergen * University of Oslo * University of South-Eastern Norway * University of Stavanger * VID Specialized University * Volda University College * Western Norway Research Institute * Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) * Ostfold University College Powered by Labrador CMS