Discovery of the world's largest underwater plant on the coast of Australia

Scientists have discovered that a huge underwater garden just off the coast of Australia is actually a single plant that covers hundreds of kilometers. 

Scientists have come to the conclusion through genetic testing that it is not a combination of different plants, but a single plant. 

Scientists believe that it spread from a single seed at least four and a half thousand years ago. 

According to scientists at the University of Western Australia, this seaweed covers an area of ​​about 200 square kilometers. 

The team made the discovery by accident. In fact, they wanted to do a genetic test of the plant, located 800 km north of Perth in Shark Bay. 

This seagrass is also called ribbon weed and is found on the shores of Australia. The researchers collected several twigs from the bay and analyzed 18,000 genetic markers to create a "fingerprint" of each sample. 

They wanted to know how many plants there were in the garden.

Lead author of the study, Jean Agello, said: "The answer surprised us, there was only one plant." 

"There is only one plant in Shark Bay that stretches for 180 kilometers, so it has become the largest plant on earth." 

The plant is also surprisingly hardy and thrives in many different locations across the Gulf. 

Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair, one of the researchers, said: 'This is a seemingly extremely flexible plant that withstands a wide range of temperatures and salty surfaces, as well as extremely bright light, all of which are unfavorable to most plants as a whole. Limits can be stressful. 

This plant grows up to 35 cm in a year like a garden and scientists have estimated that it took four and a half thousand years to reach its present size. 

The study is published in the research journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.