Bill

I read about this somewhere and I believe there is some ambiguity surrounding the idea if the single largest living thing. The problem with fungi being that, while all the cells may have been clonally generated, this doesn't necessary mean they are still the same organism, since fungi use asexual reproduction pretty frequently.

Richard Dawkins actually discusses this issue (some 15 years before this fungus was discovered, I think) in The Extended Phenotype, his follow up to the now-legendary The Selfish Gene.

All these 'organisms on the edge' are reminders, I think, of how fragile our categories really are, and how meaningless the words we use can sometimes be.

cheer

the sunshine warrior