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Polyploidy in deep and shallow evolutionary times: from ancient cotton, middle aged tobacco to recently formed monkey-flowers

Topics aimed for understanding evolution of life on earth bridge science, culture and even philosophy. It has been well established that interspecies hybridization (merger of two or more different genomes), polyploidization (chromosome multiplication) and allopolyploidy, which combines both events, are major drivers of plant and animal genome evolution. There is no doubt that human civilization is entirely dependent on polyploid species providing food, fodder, cotton (clothes) and biofuels. Most of them are relatively recent polyploids that formed within last few million years. One can therefore ask important questions, such as how stable are the crop species’ genomes and phenotypes over time? Will they be able to cope with global climate change? How about their agricultural traits? Will they be able to meet constant demand for food production? Based on what we know about the genome dynamics of polyploid species, we can envisage that that future corn fields will not be the same as in these days. Hence, understanding polyploidy in deep and shallow evolutionary times is challenging, timely and even strategic aim.

Biodiversity ; Biological databases ; Ecology ; Evolution ; Hybridization ; Genetic variation ; Plant ; Polyploidy

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