#Plants🪴 🌱

[xtruss]

This Tiny Fern Has The Largest Genome Of Any Organism On Earth

— By Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | May 31, 2024

The fern species Tmesipteris oblanceolata from New Caledonia was found to have more than 50 times more DNA in each cell than humans. According to new research, its genome size is 160.45 gigabase pairs. Credit: Pol Fernandez

In a new study published in the journal iScience, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB-CSIC) in Spain present a new record-holder for the largest amount of DNA stored in the nucleus of any living organism on the planet.

Coming in at more than 100 meters of unraveled DNA, the New Caledonian fork fern species Tmesipteris oblanceolata was found to contain more than 50 times more DNA than humans and has dethroned the Japanese flowering plant species Paris japonica, which has held this record since 2010.

In addition, the plant has achieved three Guinness World Records titles for Largest plant genome, Largest Genome, and Largest fern genome for the amount of DNA in the nucleus.

T. oblanceolata is a rare species of fern found on the island nation of New Caledonia, an overseas French territory situated in the Southwest Pacific, about 750 miles east of Australia, and some of the neighboring islands such as Vanuatu. The genus Tmesipteris is an understudied group of plants consisting of about 15 species, most of which occur across a range of Pacific Islands and Oceania.

Until now, scientists have only estimated the size of the genomes for two species of Tmesipteris—T. tannensis and T. obliqua—both of which were found to contain gigantic genomes, at 73.19 and 147.29 gigabase pairs (Gbp) respectively.

In 2023, lead authors Dr. Jaume Pellicer and Dr. Oriane Hidalgo, from the IBB and formerly of RBG Kew, traveled to New Caledonia to collect samples of Tmesipteris, which were then analyzed to estimate the size of their genomes. This involved isolating the nuclei of thousands of cells, staining them with a dye and then measuring how much dye had bound to the DNA within each nucleus—the more dye, the bigger the genome.

The previous record holder for the world's largest genome was the flowering plant, Paris Japonica at 148.89 gigabase pairs. Credit: RBG Kew

The analysis revealed the species T. oblanceolata to have a record-breaking genome size of 160.45 Gbp, which is about 7% larger than that of P. japonica (148.89 Gbp).

When unraveled, the DNA from each cell of this fern would stand taller than the Elizabeth Tower in Westminster, London, which is 96m tall and home to the world-famous Big Ben bell. For comparison, the human genome contains about 3.1 Gbp distributed across 23 chromosomes and when stretched out like a ball of yarn, the length of DNA in each cell only measures about 2m.

Dr. Pellicer, a researcher in evolutionary biology, says, "Tmesipteris is a unique and fascinating small genus of ferns, whose ancestors evolved about 350 million years ago—well before dinosaurs set foot on Earth—and it is distinguished by its mainly epiphytic habit [it grows mainly on the trunks and branches of trees] and restricted distribution in Oceania and several Pacific Islands.

"For a long time, we thought that breaking the previous size record of Paris japonica was going to be an impossible mission, but once again, the limits of biology have surpassed our most optimistic predictions.

"Based on our previous research, we anticipated the existence of giant genomes in Tmesipteris. That said, discovering the largest genome of them all is not just a feat of scientific exploration, but the result of an almost fourteen-year journey into the boundless complexity and diversity of plant genomes."

To date, scientists across the globe have estimated the genome sizes of more than 20,000 eukaryotic organisms, revealing in the process a wide range of genome sizes across the tree of life. These, in turn, have been found to have a profound impact not only on their anatomy, as bigger genomes need bigger cells to house them and take longer to replicate, but also how they function, evolve, and where and how they live.

The DNA of T. oblanceolata measures over 106m in length, making it taller than Elizabeth Tower in London, home to Big Ben. Credit: Pol Fernandez

In animals, some of the largest genomes include the marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) at 129.90 Gbp and the Neuse River waterdog (Necturus lewisi) at 117.47 Gbp. In stark contrast, six of the largest-known eukaryotic genomes are held by plants, including the European mistletoe (Viscum album) at 100.84 Gbp.

Surprisingly, having a larger genome is usually not an advantage. In the case of plants, species possessing large amounts of DNA are restricted to being slow growing perennials, are less efficient at photosynthesis (the process by which plants convert the sun's energy into sugars) and require more nutrients (especially nitrogen and phosphates) to grow and compete successfully with their smaller-genomed neighbors. In turn, such effects may influence the ability of a plant to adapt to climate change and their risk of extinction.

Dr. Ilia Leitch, Senior Research Leader—Character Evolution, at RBG Kew, says, "Who would have thought this tiny, unassuming plant that most people would likely walk past without notice, could bear a world-beating record in genome size.

"Compared to other organisms, plants are incredibly diverse when viewed at the DNA level, and that should make us pause to think about their intrinsic value in the wider picture of global biodiversity. This discovery also raises many new and exciting questions about the upper limits of what is biologically possible, and we hope to solve these mysteries one day."

Adam Millward, Managing Editor of Guinness World Records, says, "To think this innocuous-looking fern boasts 50 times more DNA than humans is a humbling reminder that there's still so much about the plant kingdom we don't know, and that record holders aren't always the showiest on the outside."

[guillotin3d]

[centre-cannot-hold]

[ofpd]

ים הולדת צמח!!!!!! 💗💗💗💗

literally so true bestie

[morning-day-yew]

Today’s emotion is: human but in the way a plant is

[ask-tighnari]

Please stop eating poisonous mushrooms :)

Amurta graduate, forest ranger, and mentor, here to answer any questions asked.

While botanist first, I do have plenty of knowledge of the animals of Avidya Forest.

If you are a matra, I am a botanist, why would I know anything about robot crabs, and no, there is not one hidden in Pardis Dhyai. If you don't believe me, arrest me, and just see what happens to the Bimarstan. :)

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Alhaitham: @scribe-not-sage

Lyney: @tis-i-lyney

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Tags

patrol log 🪷 - General tag

desert's nice 🌵 - Cyno's jokes and other annoyances

student 🌱 - Collei

plants 🪴 - Self explanatory, really.

karkata 🦀- Updates on the completely legal medical assisstant.

animals 🐅 - Insects, mammals, etc

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toxin pals 🌿 - Myyrin (@toxin-trails)

[rodolfoparras]

Bratz has grown up with their audience which I think is great! They've realized their fan base are older and instead of changing everything to fit the way to bright and flashy shows, they've been making more memes and references to media like mean girls, euphoria, ect.

and you can have fun kids shows without it feeling like brainrot, bluey for example is imo the best kids show we've gotten in awhile

One thing that's so disappointing about the winx is that they're whitewashing the white characters too💀 like Stella had a tan but in the more recent shows she's just pale

They really can't handle any type of tan/darker skin

Anyways on a better note I'm making a new winx club oc :3 he's a pretty boy named Ling that's crushing on Riven. They have very much rivals to lovers feel. Constantly bickering while both of them are like damn I wanna kiss u so bad

His appearance + fighting style is basically Ling from MLBB because I got hyperfixated on him years ago.never played the game, saw a friend playing him and became obsessed

-🌱

Oh I don’t keep up with bratz so much but that is a genius marketing move. I think it’s interesting how such few shows and tv series are willing to grow up with their audience. It’s like they’re so eager to fish in a new crowd they just end up killing off the original crowd and the show along with it

Also yes bluey is a great one along with ms Rachel! There’s a reason as to why kids have such a positive response to her!

Oh hello I love that!! I had to Google to get the visuals but he looks so freaking pretty and I’ll forever love an enemies to lovers arc when it’s queer couples bc it’s done in a healthy way like it’s light bickering or fun competitiveness while straight couples straight up have a toxic relationship 💀

[ladychandraofthemoone]

Traintober Day 17: Holiday

Ivo’s first Halloween 🎃 👻!! His driver, Kara Cupper will go all out for her little engine/sibling/brother/son figure . If he wants to be painted like a jaguar 🐆, she’ll decorate him as one!! Lowkey inspired by that fact that a few of Ivo related content had something to do with safari (his only wooden railway toy with the zoo hippo 🦛 , Ivo’s Hugh Hunt/Safari, etc).

[evolnoomym]

🪴Plant update my loves:

First we have my Pachira aquatica which got completely new soil, then a Peperomia obtusifolia variegata 'Golden Genua' and a Peperomia clusiifolia. 🌱

Followed by a Euphorbia grantii/African milk bush🌿

Lastly two new plants, a little baby Epipremnum aureum / Money plant and a (believe or not) Succulent Gasteria 😍

And yes on the last photo is Harry Styles hanging in a watermelon costume 😅🫶🏻

[lachinapr]

[vizthedatum]

There’s something about that new leaf feel that feels so tender, precious, luscious, and lovely.

[xtruss]

9 Surprising Facts About St. Patrick’s Day

Who Was the Real St. Patrick? Was That Legend About the Snakes True? And Why Did So Many St. Patrick's Day Traditions Start in America?

— By History .Com Editors | March 7, 2024

Photograph By Anna Usova/Getty Images

While St. Patrick’s Day is now associated with wearing green, parades (when they're not canceled) and beer, the holiday is grounded in history that dates back more than 1,500 years. The earliest known celebrations were held in the 17th century on March 17, marking the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick in the 5th century. Learn more about the holiday’s history and how it evolved into the event it is today.

1. The Real St. Patrick Was Born in Britain

Much of what is known about St. Patrick's life has been interwoven with folklore and legend. Historians generally believe that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Britain (not Ireland) near the end of the 4th century. At age 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold as a slave to a Celtic priest in the area now known as Northern Ireland. After toiling for six years as a shepherd, he escaped back to Britain. He eventually returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary.

2. St. Patrick Was Never Canonized

Despite his status as a patron saint, St. Patrick was never actually canonized by the Church during his lifetime. This was primarily because such a process did not exist when he died in A.D. 461. It wasn’t until 993 that St. Ulrich of Augsburg became the first saint to be formally canonized, and it was not until the 12th century that the Church established an official canonization process overseen by the Pope. While St. Patrick has not been formally canonized, many consider him to hold saintly status.

3. There Were No Snakes Around for St. Patrick to Banish from Ireland

Among the legends associated with St. Patrick is that he stood atop an Irish hillside and banished snakes from Ireland—prompting all serpents to slither away into the sea. In fact, research suggests snakes never occupied the Emerald Isle in the first place. There are no signs of snakes in the country’s fossil record. And water has surrounded Ireland since the last glacial period. Before that, the region was covered in ice and would have been too cold for the reptiles.

4. Leprechauns Are Likely Based on Celtic Fairies

The red-haired, green-clothed Leprechaun is commonly associated with St. Patrick’s Day. The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is “lobaircin,” meaning “small-bodied fellow.” Belief in leprechauns likely stems from Celtic belief in fairies— tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies.

5. The Shamrock Was Considered a Sacred Plant

The shamrock, a three-leaf clover, has been associated with Ireland for centuries. It was called the “seamroy” by the Celts and was considered a sacred plant that symbolized the arrival of spring. According to legend, St. Patrick used the plant as a visual guide when explaining the Holy Trinity. By the 17th century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism.

6. Ireland’s Only Female Patron Saint, Brigid, Has Her Own Holiday

One of Ireland’s three patron saints, alongside St. Patrick and St. Columcille, St. Brigid (or Bridget) is the patron saint of Irish nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids and cattle. Believed to have been born in Ireland sometime around A.D. 450, Brigid was the daughter of a pagan king and an enslaved woman. She grew up to serve the church by building a church in Kildare, which was the site of a former shrine to the Celtic goddess, eponymous to her.

Said to have died in A.D. 524, Brigid's memory was kept alive by the church, which canonized her as St. Brigid. In 2023, Ireland designated February 1 a permanent public holiday in Brigid’s honor.

7. The First St. Patrick’s Day Parade Was Held in America

While people in Ireland had celebrated St. Patrick since the 1600s, the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day parade began in America and actually predates the founding of the United States.

Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601, in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The parade and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year earlier were organized by the Spanish Colony's Irish vicar Ricardo Artur. More than a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in Boston in 1737 and in New York City on March 17. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York City, Boston and other early American cities only grew from there. In 2020 and 2021, parades throughout the country, including in New York City and Boston, were canceled or postponed for the first time in decades due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. They returned in 2022.

8. The Irish Were Once Scorned in America

While Irish Americans are now proud to showcase their heritage, the Irish were not always celebrated by fellow Americans. Beginning in 1845, a devastating potato blight caused widespread hunger throughout Ireland. While approximately 1 million perished, another 2 million abandoned their land in the largest-single population movement of the 19th century. Most of the exiles—nearly a quarter of the Irish nation—came to the shores of the United States. Once they arrived, the Irish refugees were looked down upon as disease-ridden, unskilled and a drain on welfare budgets.

9. Corned Beef and Cabbage Was an American Innovation

The meal that became a St. Patrick’s Day staple across the country—corned beef and cabbage—was an American innovation. While ham and cabbage were eaten in Ireland, corned beef offered a cheaper substitute for impoverished immigrants. Irish Americans living in the slums of lower Manhattan in the late 19th century and early 20th purchased leftover corned beef from ships returning from the tea trade in China. The Irish would boil the beef three times—the last time with cabbage—to remove some of the brine.

[guillotin3d]

[occulthoss]

✿✿✿✿In them I find a piece of me✿✿✿✿

[mycosylivingroom]

Lady at the waterfall from the book 📖 Maanvallei from Maria Trolle

[yunogf]

i actually made this account to stan albas plants