Annals of BotanyMar 21, 2025

🎉 Great news! The paper ‘Distinct patterns of genome size evolution in each bryophyte lineage are not correlated with whole genome duplication’ in @AnnBot by Nikisha Patel and co-authors is now #free for a limited time 🧵(1/8)

👉 https://doi.org/pcjr

#AoBpapers #PlantScience

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Genome size varies dramatically across land plants, but bryophytes consistently have some of the smallest genomes. Why? This study explores how genome size, chromosome number, and whole genome duplication (WGD) interact across mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. (2/8)
Mar 21, 2025 at 10:00amWeb
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Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, researchers reconstructed the evolutionary history of these traits across bryophytes, introducing a new metric to assess polyploidy based on chromosome counts. (3/8)
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Key findings:
✅ Each bryophyte lineage shows distinct genome evolution patterns.
✅ Mosses have the most dynamic genome sizes and highest frequency of WGD.
✅ 21.3% of mosses and 13% of liverworts are naturally polyploid. (4/8)
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Interestingly, genome size isn’t correlated with WGD or chromosome number. This suggests that after WGD, genomes may rapidly shrink, a process called genome downsizing. (5/8)
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One possible reason? Desiccation tolerance. 🌱 Bryophytes can survive drying out, but maintaining a large genome could be metabolically costly. Smaller genomes might be an evolutionary advantage. (6/8)
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Mosses stand out 🧬: their genome size has undergone 15 expansions and 9 reversals, especially in the Dicranales and Hypnales orders. (7/8)
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This study highlights how bryophytes challenge our assumptions about genome evolution. Their ability to downsize genomes post-WGD suggests fascinating trade-offs between genome complexity, adaptability, and survival. (8/8)

👉 https://doi.org/pcjr

#AoBpapers #PlantScience #Bryophytes