Moss

Ceratodon purpureus

Genome GG1 v1.1 Genome R40 v1.1 Genome Browser GG1 v1.1 Genome Browser R40 v1.1 BLAST

Ceratodon purpureus commonly known as the "purple horn-toothed moss" due to its distinctive purple or reddish sporophytes (spore capsules), is a member of the species-rich moss order Dicraniidae. C. purpureus has several key characteristics:

  • Widespread Moss Species: Ceratodon purpureus is a moss found in a wide variety of environments, including urban areas, disturbed habitats, and extreme environments like polar regions.
  • Adaptability: It is highly adaptable and can tolerate diverse conditions such as drought, temperature extremes, high levels of pollution and heavy metal contamination, making it one of the most resilient moss species.
  • Life Cycle: Like other mosses, C. purpureus has a dominant gametophyte phase, and it can reproduce both sexually through spores and asexually through fragmentation. It is dioicous, having distinct male and female plants.
  • Model for Genetic Studies: C. purpureus has been used as a model organism for studying genetic and physiological responses to environmental stress, due to its ability to withstand harsh conditions. The species is easily cultivated in sterile conditions, is readily clonally propagated, and is amenable to genetic manipulation using modern CRISPR approaches as well as classical mutagens. It is an emerging model system for the study of several evolutionary genetic phenomena, including the evolution of reproductive isolation, sex chromosomes, and sexual dimorphism, and also interesting for the study of gravitropism and phototropism
The available Ceratodon purpureous genomes were published at Carey et al. 2021.

Genome assembly stats

GG1 (female) R40 (male)
Scaffold total 111 151
Contig total 558 601
Scaffold sequence total (Mb) 349.5 (1.4% gap) 362.5 (1.2% gap)
Chromosome Sequence (Mb) 342.4 342.4
Contig sequence total (Mb) 342.4 342.4
Scaffold N/L50 4 / 22.4 Mb 4 / 25.2 Mb
Contig N/L50 74 / 1.4 Mb 73 / 1.4 Mb

Taxonomy

Kingdom Viridiplantae
Phylum Streptophyta
Class Briopsyda
Order Pseudoditrichales
Family Ditrichaceae
Genus Ceratodon Brid.
Species Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid.