Fern's sequenced genome keeps its environmental promises

A tiny fern – with each leaf the size of a gnat – can have a global impact on the l & # 39; The absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the removal of annoying insects from crops. The complete genome of the fern was sequenced by a scientist from the Boyce Thompson Institute and his colleagues around the world, as reported in the July issue of Nature Plants

Azolla filiculoides is a fern of the genus. water often found to fertilize rice fields in Asia. go much further.

"Fifteen million years ago, the Earth was a much warmer place.Azolla, this fast growing bloom that once covered the polar circle, extracted 10 trillion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Our planet's atmosphere, and scientists believe that it has played a key role in the transition from hot Earth to the current freshness. "said Fay-Wei Li, an evolutionary biologist of plants at BTI and l 39; lead author of the book, "Fern Genomes elucidate the evolution of terrestrial plants and cyanobacterial symbioses."

Li and lead author Kathleen M. Pryer of Duke University led a group of over 40 scientists around the world to sequence the genome completely. Li is also an adjunct assistant professor of biology at Cornell, the host campus of BTI

while the group sequenced the genome, he identified a fern-specific gene whose insect resistance is demonstrated.

"said Li, who explained that one of the genes in the fern probably transferred from a bacterium. "It's a naturally modified gene, and now that we've found it, it could have huge implications for agriculture."

Nitrogen fixation is the process by which plants use the chemical element as fertilizer. Although the plants can not fix the nitrogen themselves, the genome reveals a symbiotic relationship with cyanobacteria, a blue-green phylum of bacteria that derive their energy from photosynthesis and produce oxygen. "With these first genomic data on ferns, science can gain vital intelligence to understand plant genes," said Li. "We can now look for its properties as a sustainable fertilizer and perhaps collect carbon dioxide in l & # 39; atmosphere. "

Ferns are known to have large genomes, sometimes up to 148 gigabases, equivalent to 148 billion base pairs. On average, fern genomes are 12 gigabases – a reason scientists have not sequenced one, so far. The Azolla is .75 gigabases.

Funding came from the National Science Foundation, the German Research Foundation and the Beijing Institute of Genomics. Approximately $ 22,000 was raised through crowdfunding at Experiment.com.