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Scientists say a species of ‘sea grass’ lying three times the size of Manhattan has been discovered off the coast of Australia.
Through their genetic evidence scientists have proven that the ‘underwater lawn’ in western Australia has in fact been born from a single grass plant over the last 4,500 years.
Seaweed now covers an area of about 200 square kilometers, say researchers at the University of Western Australia.
The group says they accidentally made their discovery in Shark Bay Shark Bay, about 800km north of Perth.
They worked to determine the extent of the diversity of the species known locally as the “cordel grass”, which is found along various coastal areas of Australia.
The researchers collected specimens from across the breast and examined 18,000 genetic indicators to create some “fingerprints” for each sample.
“The results were incredible – it was just one of them!” said Jane Edgeloe, study leader.
“So this single plant has spread to 180km of Shark Bay, and that makes it the strongest on earth.”
“The plant seems to be extremely resistant, it has a wide range of temperatures and salinity, even in extreme weather conditions,” says researcher Dr Elizabeth Sinclair.
The species grows in the form of injuries with a width of about 35cm per year, according to researchers, and according to this figure they have calculated that it took 4,500 years to reach the current mass.
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
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