Sexual reproducing plant mimicking clonal reproduction

21/09/2026 Research

A newly published study in Nature shows, that Brazilian sedge is able to maintain its genetic identity across generations.

Sexual reproduction usually reshuffles genetic information, creating offspring that differ from their parents. But one small plant takes an unexpected route. In a new study, now published in Nature, an international team led by CEPLAS researcher André Marques at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne has shown that the Brazilian beak-sedge Rhynchospora tenuis reproduces sexually - producing pollen, fertilising its egg cells and sets seeds - but has completely lost the reshuffling of DNA between the chromosomes from each parent. The offspring retained the same genetic make-up as their mothers, effectively mimicking clonal reproduction.

Read the whole press release from MPIPZ

Original publication:

Zhang, M., Castellani, M., Steckenborn, S. et al. Sex without crossovers mimics clonal reproduction in Rhynchospora tenuis. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11057-7

Back