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The mechanisms controlling chromosome number, size, and shape, and the relationship of these traits to genome size, remain some of the least understood aspects of genome evolution. Across vascular plants, there is a striking disparity in chromosome number between homosporous and heterosporous lineages. Homosporous plants (comprising most ferns and some lycophytes) have high chromosome numbers compared to heterosporous lineages (some ferns and lycophytes and all seed plants). Many studies have investigated why homosporous plants have so many chromosomes. However, homospory is the ancestral condition from which heterospory has been derived several times. Following this phylogenetic perspective, a more appropriate question to ask is why heterosporous plants have so few chromosomes. Here, we review life history differences between heterosporous and homosporous plants, previous work on chromosome number and genome size in each lineage, known mechanisms of genome downsizing and chromosomal rearrangements, and conclude with future prospects for comparative research.
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This content will become publicly available on April 7, 2026
The Role of Meiotic Drive in Chromosome Number Disparity Between Heterosporous and Homosporous Plants
In vascular plants, heterosporous lineages typically have fewer chromosomes than homosporous lineages. The underlying mechanism causing this disparity has been debated for over half a century. Although reproductive mode has been identified as critical to these patterns, the symmetry of meiosis during sporogenesis has been overlooked as a potential cause of the difference in chromosome numbers. In most heterosporous plants, meiosis during megasporogenesis is asymmetric, meaning one of the four meiotic products survives to become the egg. Comparatively, meiosis is symmetric in homosporous megasporogenesis and all meiotic products survive. The symmetry of meiosis is important because asymmetric meiosis enables meiotic drive and associated genomic changes, while symmetric meiosis cannot lead to meiotic drive. Meiotic drive is a deviation from Mendelian inheritance where genetic elements are preferentially inherited by the surviving egg cell, and can profoundly impact chromosome (and genome) size, structure, and number. Here we review how meiotic drive impacts chromosome number evolution in heterosporous plants, how the lack of meiotic drive in homosporous plants impacts their genomes, and explore future approaches to understand the role of meiotic drive on chromosome number across land plants.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2209073
- PAR ID:
- 10639427
- Publisher / Repository:
- Molecular Ecology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Molecular Ecology
- ISSN:
- 0962-1083
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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