What is it about?
The study shows that plants with small genomes (lower number of chromosomes) can co-exist better with closely related plants in small patches of habitats than plants with larger genomes. It is likely that small genomes allow these plants to adjust their requirements to the local environment and presence of close relatives in the same patches with higher efficiency.
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Why is it important?
The study demonstrates a tight linkage between evolutionary and ecological processes in contemporary European flora. Thus, current local ecological processes and responses of plants to challenges of their present local environment can be pre-defined by evolutionary history of a species, including development of its basic genomic characteristics.
Perspectives
The study provides an interesting example of mutual dependence of local ecological processes, such as environmental filtering of plants into local patches, and macroevolutionary processes, such as reduction of genome size within families. The study is based on large datasets of genomic, niche, and life history characteristics of species from Central and Western Europe.
Dr Igor V Bartish
Institute of Botany
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Fewer chromosomes, more co‐occurring species within plant lineages: A likely effect of local survival and colonization, American Journal of Botany, March 2023, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16139.
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