World’s biggest plant discovered off Australian coast
Scientists in Western Australia have discovered via DNA testing that a sizable underwater meadow is actually only one plant.
It is said to have taken at least 4,500 years for it to spread from a single seed.
About 200 sq km, or 77 sq miles, are covered by seagrass, according to University of Western Australia experts.
It was near Shark Bay, some 800 kilometers (497 miles) north of Perth, when the crew happened across the discovery accidentally.
The plant, generally known as ribbon weed and prevalent along areas of Australia’s coast, was the focus of their study, which aimed to comprehend its genetic diversity.
Researchers took shoots from all across the bay and analyzed 18,000 genetic markers to produce a “fingerprint” for each sample.
Their goal had been to count the number of plants that grew in the meadow.
