Asparagopsis taxiformis
(Delile) Trevis. · speciesAt a glance
Sources12 archives
Databases and archives Asparagopsis taxiformis's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation4 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility6 348 records↗
OBISOcean Biodiversity Information System2 666 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI109 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics48 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Asparagopsis taxiformis, (red sea plume or limu kohu) formerly A. sanfordiana, is a species of red algae, with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm temperate waters. Researchers have demonstrated that feeding ruminants a diet containing one to two percent red seaweed reduced their methane emissions by over 90 percent. Of 20 types of seaweed tested, A. taxiformis showed the most promise, with nearly 99 percent effectiveness.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Habitat & environment3
Uses & economy1
Other traits2
Compounds documented for Asparagopsis taxiformis across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds44 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1S,11R,19R)-11-hydroxy-19-methoxy-5,7-dioxa-13-azapentacyclo[11.7.0.01,16.02,10.04,8]icosa-2,4(8),9,15,17-pentaen-14-one | present | NPASS | |
| (2R)-2-bromo-2-iodoacetic acid | present | LOTUS | |
| (2S)-1,1,4,4-tetrabromobut-3-en-2-ol | present | LOTUS | |
| (3S)-1,1,3-tribromo-3-chloroprop-1-ene | present | LOTUS | |
| (s)-Bromochloroiodomethane | present | LOTUS | |
| (Z)-1,1,3,4-tetrabromobut-3-en-2-one | present | LOTUS | |
| (Z)-1,3,4-tribromobut-3-en-2-one | present | LOTUS | |
| (Z)-3,4-dibromobut-3-en-2-one | present | LOTUS | |
| 1,1,3,3-Tetrabromoprop-1-ene | present | LOTUS | |
| 1,1,3,4-Tetrabromobut-3-en-2-one | present | LOTUS |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Asparagopsis taxiformis has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
Besides the big genome in the nucleus, cells carry a small, circular loop of DNA inside the cell's energy factories — the mitochondria. It is inherited almost only from the mother and is a leftover from ancient bacteria that moved into the cell. The mitochondrial markers above (ND*, COX, CYTB…) are read from exactly this loop. Outer ring = one strand, inner ring = the other.
The complete instruction manual Asparagopsis taxiformis carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Record type9 014 records
Origin
Range
Depth
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions38 of 79 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| Honolulu, US | 229 |
| BISHlocation not on record | 133 |
| University of Hawaii at Manoalocation not on record | 106 |
| Ciudad de México, MX | 102 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 99 |
| National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korealocation not on record | 93 |
| Ann Arbor, US | 88 |
| Kensington, AU | 86 |
| Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record | 74 |
| MeiseBGlocation not on record | 72 |
| Chapel Hill, US | 67 |
| Adelaide, AU | 65 |
| UAclocation not on record | 59 |
| Brisbane, AU | 59 |
| Universidad de Málagalocation not on record | 57 |
| Tampa, US | 41 |
| Bronx, US | 34 |
| Durham, US | 28 |
| Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacionallocation not on record | 26 |
| Wellington, NZ | 26 |
| James Cook Townsvillelocation not on record | 24 |
| Hobart, AU | 19 |
| Mexico City, MX | 18 |
| South Kensington, GB | 17 |
| San Diego, US | 16 |
| GENTlocation not on record | 14 |
| IPA/SPlocation not on record | 13 |
| National Institute of Biological Resourceslocation not on record | 12 |
| Mount Annan, AU | 11 |
| USP-IBlocation not on record | 9 |
| San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record | 8 |
| Barcelona, ES | 7 |
| Auckland, NZ | 6 |
| UFBAlocation not on record | 6 |
| Puerto Ayora, EC | 6 |
| LDlocation not on record | 6 |
| Durham, US | 6 |
| JBRJlocation not on record | 6 |
| PHlocation not on record | 5 |
| Tapachula, MX | 5 |
| WTUlocation not on record | 4 |
| UFABClocation not on record | 4 |
| Australian Institute of Marine Sciencelocation not on record | 4 |
| Vancouver, CA | 3 |
| Natick, US | 3 |
| Tlalnepantla, MX | 3 |
| Acadia Universitylocation not on record | 3 |
| Salvador, BR | 3 |
| Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Surlocation not on record | 3 |
| UFRPElocation not on record | 3 |
| Bando, JP | 3 |
| US | 3 |
| Florida Museum of Natural History- Zoology, Paleontology & Paleobotanylocation not on record | 3 |
| Minia, EG | 3 |
| Parkville, AU | 2 |
| València, ES | 2 |
| Muséum National d'Histoire Naturellelocation not on record | 2 |
| ISAlocation not on record | 2 |
| UERJlocation not on record | 2 |
| McWane Science Centerlocation not on record | 2 |
| Cape Town, ZA | 2 |
| PUC-RSlocation not on record | 2 |
| The University and Jepson Herbarialocation not on record | 2 |
| Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A. C., Unidad de Ciencias del Agualocation not on record | 2 |
| Canberra, AU | 1 |
| UIBlocation not on record | 1 |
| Cincinnati, US | 1 |
| University of Messina, Phycological Lablocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS)location not on record | 1 |
| Laboratorio de Ictiologialocation not on record | 1 |
| Universidad de Autonoma de Baja Californialocation not on record | 1 |
| University of Rhode Island, Kingstonlocation not on record | 1 |
| Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciencelocation not on record | 1 |
| Christchurch, NZ | 1 |
| Corvallis, US | 1 |
| Columbia, US | 1 |
| Université de Polynésie Française Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Paris, FR | 1 |
| Buenos Aires, AR | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Asparagopsis taxiformis was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Measured at samplingin-field
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.