Posted on 02/07/2012 9:45:53 AM PST by null and void
Scientists say a patch of ancient seagrass in the Mediterranean is up to 200,000 years and could be the oldest known living thing on Earth. Australian researchers, who genetically sampled the seagrass covering 40 sites from Spain to Cyprus, say it is one of the world's most resilient organisms - but it has now begun to decline due to global warming.
The analysis, published in the journal PLos ONE, found the seagrass was between 12,000 and 200,000 years old and was most likely to be at least 100,000 years old. This is far older than the current known oldest species, a Tasmanian plant that is believed to be 43,000 years old.
Prof Carlos Duarte, from the University of Western Australia, said the seagrass has been able to reach such old age because it can reproduce asexually and generate clones of itself. Organisms that can only reproduce sexually are inevitably lost at each generation, he added.
"They are continually producing new branches," he told The Daily Telegraph. "They spread very slowly and cover a very large area giving them more area to mine resources. They can then store nutrients within their very large branches during bad conditions for growth."
The separate patches of seagrass in the Mediterranean span almost 10 miles and weigh more than 6,000 tons.
"The seagrass in the Mediterranean is already in clear decline due to shoreline construction and declining water quality and this decline has been exacerbated by climate change. As the water warms, the organisms move slowly to higher altitudes. The Mediterranean is locked to the north by the European continent.
"They cannot move. The outlook is very bad."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Two Mexicans would still offer to mow that for about $32.
Fifteen years with NO detectable global warming...but it gets the blame anyway.
Anyone else smell an agenda here?
“200,000 years old? How can that be when it’s only 2012????”
Huh?...can i have some of what you are smoking :)
If this sea grass is 12,000 years old, it survived several climate extremes, like the so-called little ice age and medieval warming period-if it is more than 12,000 years old, then it has been around through some really nasty events-ice ages, huge volcanic eruptions like Toba, etc. If it is hardy enough to survive in amounts large enough to re-multiply in more seagrass friendly times, then I don’t really think we need to worry about it...
Is this what passes for engineering analytical precision these days?
As the water warms, the organisms move slowly to higher altitudes.
Not smoking but hanging out with three of my male friends: Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker :)
“Is this what passes for engineering analytical precision these days?”
Close enough for government work.
If it has survived for 200,000 years it has lived through several warming and cooling periods and will come through whatever this is just fine.
Works for me :)
I only ask, because if NO portion of the currently living patch of sea grass is actually 200,000 years old, then claiming that the patch of grass is that old is analogous to a descendant of George Washington claiming that he owns the actual hatchet used by our first president to cut down the cherry tree.
Yes, in fact the hatchet has been in the family for generations. They've never treated it like a museum piece, and each successive generation has used the hatchet for its intended purpose. Sure, the hatchet's handle has gotten broken quite a few times over the years and has been replaced as needed; and, of course, as many times as the blade has been sharpened, several heads have been worn away to to the point where THEY needed to be replaced -- but it's definitely George Washington's!
Hmmmm, I'm the oldest one in my immediate family, and I have begun to decline ...... must be Global Warming!
I'm now fully convinced by their arguments.
(beating drum and chanting)
STOP GLOBAL WARMING!
STOP MY DECLINE!
STOP GLOBAL WARMING!
SAVE COL FREEPER!
STOP GLOBAL WARMING!
[Pssst, all you declining FReeper oldsters better quickly get in on this movement so that you can stop your decline too.]
Too late.
It’s lasted this long and now we have 0 to screw it up.
Bye-bye grass.
bristlecone pines
aspen stands
creosote bushes
fungal colonies
Helen Thomas
and now seaweed.
Of course it is, it occupies the same space!
On the other hand, if George Washington
It is laughable the predictions of man made global warming.
There was a scientist on the radio last night tyring to explain why the severe winter predicted for this year did not happen (arctic oscilation, expected to negative was very positiv i.e. going west to east across your North American continent). The guy would not even speculate on what the weather would be next week, but these nut cases are proclaimiong 3 degrees warmer in a few hundred years.
Great graphic! Do you have a link to the source?
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