Selaginella moellendorffii
Encyclopedia
Selaginella moellendorffii is a lycophyte that is an important model organism
, especially in comparative genomics
. S. moellendorffii is a member of an ancient vascular plant
lineage that first appears in the fossil record some 400 million years ago. They would later form a dominant part of the world's flora during the Carboniferous
period. These lycopsids lack true leaves (having microphyll
s instead) and roots and thus represent an important node on the plant evolutionary tree. As the oldest extant division of the vascular plants, they are essential to understanding the evolution of plants as a whole.
s, one of the smaller genome size found for any plant species. The genome has been sequenced and assembled by the United States Department of Energy
's Joint Genome Institute
. Community annotation of the genes and other elements of this genome began in September 2007.
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
, especially in comparative genomics
Comparative genomics
Comparative genomics is the study of the relationship of genome structure and function across different biological species or strains. Comparative genomics is an attempt to take advantage of the information provided by the signatures of selection to understand the function and evolutionary...
. S. moellendorffii is a member of an ancient vascular plant
Vascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
lineage that first appears in the fossil record some 400 million years ago. They would later form a dominant part of the world's flora during the Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
period. These lycopsids lack true leaves (having microphyll
Microphyll
The terminology of fossil plants is in places a little confusing. In the discipline's 200+ year history, certain concepts have become entrenched, even though improved understanding has threatened the foundations upon which they are based...
s instead) and roots and thus represent an important node on the plant evolutionary tree. As the oldest extant division of the vascular plants, they are essential to understanding the evolution of plants as a whole.
Genome sequencing
The nuclear genome size is approximately 100 mega base pairBase pair
In molecular biology and genetics, the linking between two nitrogenous bases on opposite complementary DNA or certain types of RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds is called a base pair...
s, one of the smaller genome size found for any plant species. The genome has been sequenced and assembled by the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
's Joint Genome Institute
Joint Genome Institute
The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute was created in 1997 to unite the expertise and resources in genome mapping, DNA sequencing, technology development, and information sciences pioneered at the DOE genome centers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Lawrence Livermore...
. Community annotation of the genes and other elements of this genome began in September 2007.
See also
- American Society for Plant Biology Selaginella education page
- Selaginella genomics website - contribute to the genome annotation
- Purdue University's Selaginella Wiki