A small fern that seems unremarkable became the Guinness World Record holder for having the largest genome all over the planet.
The New Caledonian fern appears to have over 50 times more DNA in the nuclei of its cells compared to humans.
New Caledonian Fern Has World's Largest Genome
If the DNA from one of the cells of the fern were to be unraveled, it could span up to 106 meters in length. Such a cell is just a fraction of a millimeter in width.
If it stood upright, it would be taller compared to the tower that holds the famous Big Ben bell in London.
The genome of the fern was found to weigh 160 giga base pairs (Gbp), which is DNA length measurement. This is just 7% bigger compared to its preceding record holder, the Paris japonica, a Japanese flowering plant.
As for the human genome, it is quite tiny, having a length of just 3.1 Gbp. If the DNA of humans were to be unraveled, it would have a length of around 2 meters.
Researcher Ilia Leitch of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew shared that it was quite surprising for the research team to find something bigger compared to the Paris japonica. They thought that the biological limits had already been reached, yet it appeared that the extremes of biology were being pushed.
The fern grows to a height of 10 centimeters and can only be found in New Caledonia.
In 2023, two research team members went to Grand Terre, the main island. They collaborated with local scientists for this research. Their findings were noted in the "A 160 Gbp fork fern genome shatters size record for eukaryotes" study.
The fern was awarded by the Guinness World Records for having the largest genome in the world.
Genomes
The genome of an organism comprises all the organism's DNA.
Humans are believed to have over 30 trillion cells in the body. Each of these cells contain a nucleus that carries DNA, which can be likened to an instruction book that relays to an organism how to survive and live.
Presently, scientists were able to estimate the genome size of roughly 20,000 organisms, which is just a fraction of all life found on Earth.
For animals, the largest genome can be found in the marbled lungfish, which has 130 Gbps.
Though plants typically have the largest genomes, they may also have notably small ones. The Genlisea area's genome, for instance, just has a length of 0.06 Gbps.
However, evidence suggests that it is disadvantageous to have a large genome. With more DNA, the larger the cells must squeeze in.
In the case of plants, bigger cells could mean leaf pores that must be larger, which could end up making them grow slowly. It will also be trickier to make new DNA copies, which could limit their capacity for reproduction.
This could mean that the largest genomes can be seen in perennial and slow-growing plants that cannot easily content with their competition or adapt to adversity.
Hence, genome size could also play a role in how plants respond and adapt to climate change, land use changes, and other environmental challenges.
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