University of Nottingham Researchers Investigate Duckweed for Deep Space Missions
Despite being only a few millimeters wide, researchers note that duckweeds could feed astronauts exploring deep space — as well as providing a potential source of food and protein on Earth. Researchers at the University of Nottingham conducted gene expression analysis and cutting-edge microscopy on duckweeds.
Compressed and Fused Plant Structures Revealed by Microscopy
Published in the journal Current Biology, the new findings show that duckweeds retain the same basic building blocks found in the shoots of larger plants. However, those structures have been “dramatically compressed” and fused together.
Study leader Anthony Bishopp explained the mechanics of the organism. “We were interested to find out how a complete plant body plan can be packed into such a tiny space,” Bishopp said. “While miniaturization in animals is often associated with the loss of organs or body structures, we have revealed that duckweeds have taken a different route.”
The research team found that the basic organization of the shoot remains intact within the plant body. Instead of discarding elements of its genetic design, duckweed seems to have condensed and integrated its parts into an exceptionally space-saving organism.
Untapped Agricultural Potential on Earth and in Orbit
The capabilities of duckweed remain mostly unexamined, unlike contemporary crops that have undergone millennia of cultivation and targeted breeding. Study co-author Alex Ware addressed common misconceptions about the species.
“Duckweeds are astonishingly small, so it is tempting to think of them as either primitive plants or simply as having lost parts, but this is not the case,” Ware stated. Grasping the fundamental structure of the organism offers a vital foundation to comprehend how duckweed grows, develops and functions — and ultimately how its potential might be improved.
