2022 article

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

Huang, X., Wang, W., Gong, T., Wickell, D., Kuo, L.-Y., Zhang, X., … Li, Q. (2022, May 9). NATURE PLANTS.

By: X. Huang *, W. Wang *, T. Gong *, D. Wickell *, L. Kuo *, X. Zhang *, J. Wen *, H. Kim * ...

MeSH headings : Animals; Atelinae / genetics; Ferns / genetics; Genome, Plant; Phylogeny; Spiders / genetics
TL;DR: The genome of the flying spider-monkey tree fern and investigations on stem formation and secondary metabolite biosynthesis promote the understanding of fern evolution and arborescence, facilitating the protection and utilization of this endangered species. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
15. Life on Land (Web of Science; OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: May 23, 2022

AbstractTo 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.