Tepuis are table-top mountains found in the northern portion of the South America. They are normally present as isolated plateaus that rise up to a kilometer above the surrounding rainforest.

This elevation isolates the plateaus of the Tepuis from the lower forest, creating unique ecological islands, with a big diversity of endemic flora and fauna that have independently evolved in a cooler and more humid climate than the forest down below.

In the Fremont River Ranger District of the Fishlake National Forest located in the state of Utah, USA, there is a forest of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) that covers an area of 43 hectares. But the appearances are deceiving.

All the trees are actually part of one organism, known as Pando. They all stem from a single massive root system estimated to be about 80,000 years old, making Pando one of the oldest organisms known. The entire plant weights collectively roughly 6 million tonnes making it also the heaviest organism on the planet.