''Gaga'' (gaga lipfern) is a genus of 19 species of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s in the family

Pteridaceae Pteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, including some 1150 known species in ca 45 genera (depending on taxonomic opinions), divided over five subfamilies. The family includes four groups of genera that are sometimes recogni ...

named after American singer and songwriter

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

. Two of the 19 species are newly- described: ''Gaga germanotta'' from Costa Rica, named after the family of the singer (she was born Stefani Germanotta), and ''Gaga monstraparva'', in honor of Gaga's fans, whom she calls "little monsters". According to biologists, the ferns bear a close resemblance to Gaga's costume from the

52nd Annual Grammy Awards The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares P ...

and also bear a distinct DNA sequence spelling GAGA. Except for the two new species, the rest of the ''Gaga'' ferns were reclassified, having previously been assigned to the genus ''

Cheilanthes ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and ever ...

'', based on their outward appearance. Biologists at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

explained that they listed the ferns with the name ''Gaga'', due to the singer's active support of equality and individual expression. The decision received widespread attention from the science community and the media.

Description

Pryer published her findings in the then-current issue of ''

Systematic Botany ''Systematic Botany'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the study of systematic botany. It is published quarterly by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2010 i ...

'', the quarterly publication of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, after a five-year study of the ferns. The 17 species were re-classified once Li was able to confirm by

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The ...

of around 80 samples, that they were distinct in appearance and would be better categorized under a new genus. Pryer used new scientific tools for reorganization of the fern family tree. She also explained that the biology of the ''Gaga'' ferns are "exceptionally obscure" and unattainable due to the sexual crossing between the species. This was attained by their high content of

chromosomes A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most importa ...

and

asexuality Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or Sexual desire, desire for Human sexual activity, sexual activity. It may be considered a sexual orientation or the lack thereof. It may also be categori ...

, which resulted in the child ferns being genetically identical to the parent ones, and thus indiscernible. The genus is described as the early offshoot of hemionitid ferns, and is most closely related to genus ''

Aspidotis ''Aspidotis'' is a small genus of Leptosporangiate fern, leptosporangiate ferns known commonly as laceferns. Most species are native to slopes, ridges, and rocky outcroppings, primarily in California and Mexico, although one species included in ...

''. Following the characteristics of most ferns, the ''Gaga'' group is homosporous in nature, and produce minute spherical spores that travel and fall down on the ground. They later germinate into heart-shaped

gametophyte A gametophyte () is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has one set of chromosomes. The gametophyte is the se ...

s. The thesis on the species explained that "These independent little organisms can be female, male or even bisexual, depending on growth conditions and what other kinds of gametophytes are around. When conditions are right, they exchange sperm between gametophytes, but when necessary they sometimes can also self-fertilize to produce a new fern."

Background and naming

In September 2012, scientists at

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

had given Lady Gaga's name to a species of newly identified parasitic wasp, ''

Aleiodes gaga ''Aleiodes gaga'' is a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family Braconidae. It was first described by Donald Quicke and Buntika Butcher in 2012 after a single individual was discovered in the Chae Son National Park in Thailand. The sp ...

''. A month later, researchers at

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

discovered two new species of fern in Central and South America, Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. They were named '' Gaga germanotta'', after the singer's family—she was born Stefani Germanotta—and '' Gaga monstraparva'', after a name for Gaga's fans, known as "little monsters". The ferns were discovered in Costa Rica and Mexico primarily. Another 17 species of ferns had been assigned to the genus ''

'', but were reclassified under ''Gaga'', making a total of 19 species in the genus. According to Kathleen Pryer, president of the

American Fern Society The American Fern Society was founded in 1893. Today, it has more than 1,000 members around the world, with various local chapters. Among its deceased members, perhaps the most famous is Oliver Sacks, who became a member in 1993. Willard N. Clut ...

American Society of Plant Taxonomists The American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) is a botany, botanical organization formed in 1935 to "foster, encourage, and promote education and research in the field of plant taxonomy, to include those areas and fields of study that contribut ...

and study leader of the research group, they often "listen dto aga'smusic while we do our research... We think that her second album, '' Born This Way'' (2011), is enormously empowering, especially for disenfranchised people and communities like LGBT, ethnic groups, women—and scientists who study odd ferns!" As the team started considering a name for the ferns, they noticed that one of them had the

base pair A base pair (bp) is a fundamental unit of double-stranded nucleic acids consisting of two nucleobases bound to each other by hydrogen bonds. They form the building blocks of the DNA double helix and contribute to the folded structure of both DNA ...

sequence "G–A–G–A" (

guanine Guanine () (symbol G or Gua) is one of the four main nucleotide bases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, the others being adenine, cytosine, and thymine ( uracil in RNA). In DNA, guanine is paired with cytosine. The guanine nucleoside ...

adenine Adenine (, ) (nucleoside#List of nucleosides and corresponding nucleobases, symbol A or Ade) is a purine nucleotide base that is found in DNA, RNA, and Adenosine triphosphate, ATP. Usually a white crystalline subtance. The shape of adenine is ...

, guanine, adenine) in its DNA. This was noticed by one of the graduate students, Fay-Wei Li, who had scanned the base pairs and found the sequence. The ferns had the ability to self-fertilize and had "fluid definitions of gender". This gave the scientists concrete reason for naming the species as ''Gaga''. The second inspiration came from Gaga's performance of " Poker Face" at the

in 2010. While singing, she had worn an Armani Prive' costume, which was shaped like a heart. It was accompanied by huge shoulder pads, which gave it an appearance of the bisexual reproductive stage of the ferns, called a

. The dress also had the characteristic color of light green. Pryer noticed that the new leaves of the ferns were shaped like the characteristic "paws up" salute displayed by Gaga to her fans.

Species

, the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' recognized the following species: *'' Gaga angustifolia'' (

Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850) was a German botanist. He was also known as Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth. He was one of the early systematic botanists who focused on studying the plants of th ...

) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga apiacea'' ( Mickel) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga arizonica'' ( Maxon) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga chaerophylla'' ( M.Martens & Galeotti) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga complanata'' ( A.R.Sm.) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga cuneata'' ( Link) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga decomposita'' (M.Martens & Galeotti) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga decurrens'' (Mickel) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga germanotta'' Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga harrisii'' (Maxon) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga hintoniorum'' ( Mendenh. & G.L.Nesom) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga hirsuta'' (Link) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga kaulfussii'' (

Kunze Kunz, Künz, or Kunze is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Kunz (singer) (Marco Kunz, born 1985), Swiss singer *Adrian Kunz (born 1967), Swiss international footballer *Alfred Kunz (Catholic priest) (1931–1998), American murder ...

) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga marginata'' (Kunth) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga membranacea'' ( Davenp.) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga monstraparva'' Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga pellaeopsis'' (Mickel) Fay W.Li & Windham *'' Gaga purpusii'' ( T.Reeves) Fay W.Li & Windham

Distribution

The species are found from Arizona and Texas in the United States south through

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and into

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

as far as southern

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. The greatest diversity is in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, where 17 of the 19 species occur, and 6 are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Media reception

The naming of the fern after the singer received widespread attention from the science community and the media. Duke University scholar and professor

Cathy Davidson Cathy N. Davidson (born 1949) is an American scholar and university professor. Beginning July 1, 2014, she is a professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She was a professor of English at Duke University in 2006. She ...

, who had been previously associated with the inception of Gaga's

Born This Way Foundation Born This Way Foundation (sometimes abbreviated as BTWF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by American artist and activist Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. Named after the singer's 2011 album '' Born This Way'', and the so ...

, said that it was a "remarkable, unexpected, perfect tribute to name a genus of ferns for Lady Gaga". Amy Briggs from ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' added that along with her "dance tunes and memorable meaty fashion choices, agahas another claim to fame: botany." Sean Michaels from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' remarked that "by honoring Gaga in this way, the academics have doubtless paved the way for a series of fern-based costumes". David Itzkoff from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' declared about the naming, "scientists may seem like a pretty poker-faced bunch, but the botanists at Duke University, at least, have a sense of humor about their work and some pop-culture savvy to go with it". James Montgomery from

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

noted that Gaga is characterized as a "global superstar, fashion icon, entrepreneur and role model to millions, yet despite all that, her impact on the world of pteridophytes has been minimal at best — until now, that is ith the naming" Colin Schultz from '' Smithsonian'' felt that since scientists are also normal people with interests, hobbies, and musical inclinations, "so, sometimes, when a new species of plant or animal is discovered, it gets named after something cool." Gaga herself responded positively to the naming, saying that "since it's an asexual fern, there are 19 species contained within the genus. All sexless, judgeless. How I wish to be."

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q983130 Pteridaceae Lady Gaga Ferns of the Americas Fern genera