The flying spider-monkey tree fern genome provides insights into fern evolution and arborescence

Authors

• Xiong Huang, Chinese Academy of Forestry
• Wenling Wang, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• Ting Gong, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
• David Wickell, Thompson Institute
• Li Yaung Kuo, National Tsing Hua University
• Xingtan Zhang, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• Jialong Wen, Beijing Forestry University
• Hoon Kim, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Fachuang Lu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Hansheng Zhao, International Center for Bamboo and Rattan
• Song Chen, Northeast Forestry University
• Hui Li, Chinese Academy of Forestry
• Wenqi Wu, Beijing Forestry University
• Changjiang Yu, Qingdao Agricultural University
• Su Chen, Northeast Forestry University
• Wei Fan, Chinese Academy of Forestry
• Shuai Chen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• Xiuqi Bao, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
• Li Li, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
• Dan Zhang, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
• Longyu Jiang, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
• Xiaojing Yan, Chinese Academy of Forestry
• Zhenyang Liao, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• Gongke Zhou, Qingdao Agricultural University
• Yalong Guo, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences
• John Ralph, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Ronald R. Sederoff, NC State University
• Hairong Wei, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
• Ping Zhu, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
• Fay Wei Li, Thompson Institute
• Ray Ming, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-9-2022

Department

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Abstract

To date, little is known about the evolution of fern genomes, with only two small genomes published from the heterosporous Salviniales. Here we assembled the genome of Alsophila spinulosa, known as the flying spider-monkey tree fern, onto 69 pseudochromosomes. The remarkable preservation of synteny, despite resulting from an ancient whole-genome duplication over 100 million years ago, is unprecedented in plants and probably speaks to the uniqueness of tree ferns. Our detailed investigations into stem anatomy and lignin biosynthesis shed new light on the evolution of stem formation in tree ferns. We identified a phenolic compound, alsophilin, that is abundant in xylem, and we provided the molecular basis for its biosynthesis. Finally, analysis of demographic history revealed two genetic bottlenecks, resulting in rapid demographic declines of A. spinulosa. The A. spinulosa genome fills a crucial gap in the plant genomic landscape and helps elucidate many unique aspects of tree fern biology.

Publisher's Statement

© 2022, The Author(s). Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01146-6

Publication Title

Nature Plants

Recommended Citation

Huang, X., Wang, W., Gong, T., Wickell, D., Kuo, L., Zhang, X., Wen, J., Kim, H., Lu, F., Zhao, H., Chen, S., Li, H., Wu, W., Yu, C., Chen, S., Fan, W., Chen, S., Bao, X., Li, L., Zhang, D., Jiang, L., Yan, X., Liao, Z., Zhou, G., Guo, Y., Ralph, J., Sederoff, R., Wei, H., Zhu, P., Li, F., & Ming, R. (2022). The flying spider-monkey tree fern genome provides insights into fern evolution and arborescence. Nature Plants, 8, 500-512. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01146-6
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/16036

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Version

Publisher's PDF