Variation encodes hierarchy. It selects for greatness, while undifferentiation breeds inertia—the inert blob of yeast.
Are trees an exception? No! Trees often have greater genetic diversity than mammals. And the most majestic trees belong to the most diverse genuses:
- The giant sequoia, towering and ancient.
- Old-growth Norway spruce, enduring through centuries.
- The white oak, strong and sprawling.
Contrast this with Pando, the trembling aspen colony—a single organism, cloned endlessly from one root system. A forest, yet not truly many. The Genius of Nature lies in variation, not in mere multiplication.
