Some plants have a genetic superpower that may help them survive a cataclysm
NPR • • science
Key Points:
- Polyploidy, the condition of having more than two sets of chromosomes, is common in plants like strawberries and may help them survive extreme environmental stresses such as climate change.
- Despite the challenges of having extra chromosomes, which can lead to errors and competition disadvantages, polyploidy has persisted, forming a paradox in evolutionary biology.
- Research analyzing 470 flowering plant genomes found that whole genome duplications are not random but cluster during periods of environmental upheaval over the last 150 million years, including events like the asteroid impact 66 million years ago.
- Polyploid plants may have advantages under stress, such as enhanced photosynthesis with more genes, allowing them to survive when many other species go extinct, effectively acting as an evolutionary "insurance policy."
- These insights offer hope for plant resilience amid current climate change and provide valuable information for plant breeders aiming to develop stress-resistant crops.