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