There's something really peculiar about ferns.
and other fern genomes got so big, it's clear that the prevailing view of repeated episodes of genome duplication is not supported."
However it happened, it seems to suggest that ferns are simply inefficient at shedding junk DNA. Instead, they keep it around indefinitely, like a hoarder who simply doesn't know when they might have a use for that drawer full of dried-up pens.In the fern's genome are defenses against a particular toxin that punches holes in a cell's membrane.
Copies of these defense genes show up in different parts of the plant, suggesting that this transfer happened multiple times. So the fern does seem to be deriving some benefit from the fruits of its spoils, and likely that benefit is also defensive, the researchers suggest."The mechanisms behind horizontal gene transfer remain one of the least investigated areas of land plant evolution,""Over evolutionary timescales, it's a bit like winning the lottery.
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