The accidental discovery of the largest factory in the world

The largest known aquatic plant on Earth, an aquatic plant about three times the size of Manhattan, has been discovered off the coast of Australia.

Using genetic testing, scientists have found that a large seagrass meadow off the west coast of Australia is actually a single plant.

plant believed mushroom my offspring From one seed for at least 4,500 years.

seagrass covers near two00 square kilometersnote researchers at the University of Western Australia.

The team made the discovery by chance in Shark Bay, 800 kilometers north of Perth.

Scientists have been studying the genetic diversity of an aquatic plant called Posidonia australiana (Posidonia australis), which is common in parts of the Australian coast.

The researchers collected samples from across the Gulf and screened 18,000 genetic markers to create a “fingerprint” for each.

His goal was to find out how many plants seaweed was made of.

“We were amazed by the answer: there was only one!Jane Idjello, lead author of the study.

“Only one plant spread over 180 kilometers in Shark Bay, making it the largest known plant on Earth.”

The plant is also distinguished by its resilience, as it has grown in parts of the bay with highly variable conditions.

“It appears to be very resilient, because it experienced a wide range of temperatures and salinities, as well as extreme light conditions, which would be very stressful for most plants,” said Elizabeth Sinclair, another researcher.

species usually It grows at a rate of up to 35 cm per year. This measurement allowed the scientists to estimate that the plant took 4,500 years to reach its current size.

The study It has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B of the UK Academy of Sciences.

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