![\"Plants](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Plants-Survived-1.png\")
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\n Blue bars indicate the total number of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) identified in each plant family, including WGDs in a family\u2019s most recent common ancestor (MRCA) and in its descendant lineages. Numbers in parentheses specifically indicate the number of WGDs in the MRCA lineage of families, shared by all species thereof. For instance, five WGDs were identified in Brassicaceae, one of which is present in the MRCA of the clade (i.e., \u201c5[1]\u201d). Blue lines in nodes of the tree indicate 95% highest posterior density (HPD) intervals for estimated divergence times. Shaded gray bars in the tree indicate families that belong to the same order. Orders with two or more families are labeled. Colored horizontal bars at the bottom of the tree indicate geological periods. Tr, Triassic; J, Jurassic; K, Cretaceous; Pg, Paleogene; and Ng, Neogene \u2014 Cell Press <\/p>\n
When an asteroid as big as\u202fMount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many plants survived the devastation.<\/p>\n
In a new study publishing May 8 in the Cell Press journal Cell, researchers reveal that the accidental duplications of genomes\u2014a natural phenomenon\u2014might have helped many flowering plants survive some of the most extreme environmental upheavals in Earth\u2019s history. This strategy could help plants adapt to the rapid climate changes unfolding today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhole-genome duplication is often seen as an evolutionary dead end in stable environments,\u201d says author Yves Van de Peer of Ghent University in Belgium. \u201cBut in harsh situations, it can provide unexpected advantages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most organisms carry two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. But in flowering plants, many species carry additional sets as a result of random whole-genome duplication. For example, most cultivated bananas have three sets of chromosomes while wheat plants can have as many as six, a condition known as polyploidy.<\/p>\n
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Reconstructed evolutionary time tree of 466 angiosperms \u2014 CELL<\/strong><\/p>\n Whole-genome duplication occurs relatively frequently in plants, and it can be costly. Larger genomes require more nutrients to maintain, increase the risk of acquiring harmful mutations, and affect fertility. For these reasons, only a small fraction of duplicated genomes are retained and passed down through generations in the wild.<\/p>\n On the other hand, genome duplications can increase genetic variations, and genes can evolve new functions. These changes may help organisms better tolerate stress such as heat or drought.<\/p>\n To understand why some duplicated genomes persist, Van de Peer and his team analyzed the genomes of 470 species of flowering plants, constructing one of the largest datasets of its kind. They looked for blocks of genes that appear in almost identical pairs\u2014a marker of past whole-genome duplication events.\u202fThen, they compared the data with information from 44 plant fossils to estimate when these duplications occurred.<\/p>\n Their analysis revealed a striking pattern. The researchers found that the genes that persist over time tend to originate from whole-genome duplications during major periods of environmental upheaval. These include the asteroid-triggered mass extinction 66 million years ago, several periods of global cooling when ecosystems collapsed, and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) about 56 million years ago\u2014a period of rapid global warming.<\/p>\n The findings help explain a long-standing puzzle of why polyploidy is common, but only a few persevere in plant genomes over millions of years. Under these extreme conditions, polyploid plants might have gained an edge. Traits that are normally disadvantageous, such as maintaining a larger and more complex genome, can become beneficial, say the researchers.<\/p>\n The study also offers some clues about how plants may respond to climate change today. During the PETM, global temperatures rose by about 5 to 9\u00b0C (9 to 14\u00b0F) over roughly 100,000 years, a change comparable to the warming happening today.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the current climate is warming at a much faster rate, what we see from the past suggests that polyploidy may help plants cope with these stressful conditions,\u201d Van de Peer says.<\/p>\n