![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
02-06-2022, 08:59 AM
2022-06-01 11:56:14
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researchers from Flinders University in South Australia and the University of Western Australia revealed that they have discovered a seagrass stretching 180km in Western Australia's Shark Bay.
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using genetic tools and were surprised to discover it was one vast organism of the Posidonia australis species.
They estimate that it is at least 4,500 years old.
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"This single plant may in fact be sterile; it doesn't have sex. How it's survived and thrived for so long is really puzzling," he said.
"Plants that don't have sex tend to also have reduced genetic diversity, which they normally need when dealing with environmental change."
He added: "Our seagrass has seen its fair share of environmental change, too. Even today, it experiences a huge range of average temperatures; from 17 to 30 deg C. Salinities from normal seawater to double that. And from darkness to extreme high light conditions.
"These conditions would typically be highly stressful for plants. Yet, it appears to keep on going."
After conducting further tests, researchers found that the plant is a polyploid, meaning it has twice as many chromosomes as its relatives, and it will continue to grow if left undisturbed.
https://english.news.cn/20220601/2f17ac7...c63/c.html
......
researchers from Flinders University in South Australia and the University of Western Australia revealed that they have discovered a seagrass stretching 180km in Western Australia's Shark Bay.
......
using genetic tools and were surprised to discover it was one vast organism of the Posidonia australis species.
They estimate that it is at least 4,500 years old.
......
"This single plant may in fact be sterile; it doesn't have sex. How it's survived and thrived for so long is really puzzling," he said.
"Plants that don't have sex tend to also have reduced genetic diversity, which they normally need when dealing with environmental change."
He added: "Our seagrass has seen its fair share of environmental change, too. Even today, it experiences a huge range of average temperatures; from 17 to 30 deg C. Salinities from normal seawater to double that. And from darkness to extreme high light conditions.
"These conditions would typically be highly stressful for plants. Yet, it appears to keep on going."
After conducting further tests, researchers found that the plant is a polyploid, meaning it has twice as many chromosomes as its relatives, and it will continue to grow if left undisturbed.
https://english.news.cn/20220601/2f17ac7...c63/c.html
