This is 11 billion more than the previous record, which is a flowering plant called Paris JaponicaWhich can reach a height of 75 cm. This is 30 billion more than the animal record holder, Protopterus aethiopicusIt is a fish from East Africa that has the ability to survive long periods of drought.
What's more, the fern in question (Tmesipteris oblanceolata) is only found on a few Pacific islands, including New Caledonia, suggesting that other species whose genomes have not yet been deciphered may have surprises up their sleeve.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
So you don't miss any scientific news and know all about our efforts to fight fake news and misinformation!
The co-author of this new discovery, evolutionary biologist Jaume Pellicer of the Barcelona Institute of Botany, was also a co-author of the 2010 discovery of record. Paris Japonica -And She also writes for the magazine now natureIt was thought at the time that this “giant genome” represented the limit of what plants could offer.
It even raises the question To find out How did these plants manage to “manage” such enormous genetic material?Because they must constantly “access” the parts of the genome that produce the proteins necessary for their proper functioning. Logically, a larger genome It also comes with greater energy expenditure – Only every time a cell divides. It is possible – but this is just speculation at the moment – that the fact that these two plants live in restricted environments – Japan in one case, and some Pacific islands in the other – means that there is no need to worry about them “competing”.
We can find the description From the genome in question in the open access journal iScience.
