Which Organism Is Known As Drosophila Of Plant Kingdom

Arabidopsis thaliana is often referred to as the “Drosophila of the Plant Kingdom”. It is a small angiosperm, a dicot weed, and is highly valued for its small size, low number of chromosomes, fast growth, and ability to self-fertilize. For these reasons, it is widely used as a model organism for research in plant biology, genetics, and molecular biology.

Many mutant varieties have been identified.

#Arabidopsis thaliana Arabidopsis thaliana is a small plant, typically growing to a height of 20-25 cm, and belonging to the mustard family. It is notable for being the first plant whose whole genome was sequenced. Let’s learn more about its key facts!

Key Facts About Arabidopsis thaliana

Common name: Mouse-ear cress or Thale cress

Classification:

  • Kingdom: Plantae

Subkingdom: Tracheobionta

Superdivision - Spermatophyta

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subclass - Dilleniidae

Order: Capparales

Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard family)

Number of Chromosomes - It contains 5 pairs of chromosomes (n = 5). The genome consists of ~ 135 Mbp of DNA, which is similar to Drosophila.

Number of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana – The genome codes for ~27000 genes, which code for around 35000 proteins.

Life Cycle: 6-8 Weeks

It is also easier to make transgenic plants by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a vector.

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