Genome evolution shaped by post-polyploid diploidization in the paleo-allopolyploid mangrove Heritiera littoralis (Malvaceae)

Feng, Hui and Guo, Wuxia and Shen, Jingyue and Banerjee, Achyut Kumar and Lin, Yuting and Hou, Zhuangwei and Lei, Yutian and Ke, Shijie and Wang, Jiakai and Duan, Fuyuan and Zhang, Nannan and Huang, Yelin (2026) Genome evolution shaped by post-polyploid diploidization in the paleo-allopolyploid mangrove Heritiera littoralis (Malvaceae). Plant Diversity. ISSN 2096-2703

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Abstract

Polyploidy and the subsequent post-polyploid diploidization (PPD) are key drivers of plant evolution and adaptation, yet the genomic mechanisms underlying evolution in paleo-allopolyploids remain poorly understood, especially as these lineages adapt to extreme environments. Here, we targeted Heritiera littoralis (Malvaceae), a mangrove derived from a paleo-allotetraploid formed approximately 60 million years ago, to dissect these processes. We generated a de novo chromosome-level genome assembly and reconstructed PPD's evolutionary dynamics. The paleo-allotetraploid (n = 22) evolved into H. littoralis (n = 19) through six chromosomal rearrangement events, comprising three fusions and three reciprocal translocations. Two of these events are specific to H. littoralis and explain the chromosomal divergence between Heritiera and Firmiana, highlighting the role of descending dysploidy in H. littoralis speciation. By reconstructing evolutionary trajectories, we divided the H. littoralis genome into A and B subgenomes, finding that the B subgenome retained more genes and exhibited persistent expression dominance during long-term PPD. Notably, >85% of salt-responsive genes are PPD-retained duplicates, and gene fractionation, sub-/neo-functionalization shaped a stress-adaptive gene regulatory network. This study advances paleo-polyploidy research by clarifying the adaptive role of ancient polyploidy in extreme environments and underscoring its profound implications for long-term plant evolution. © 2026 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Feng, Hui and Guo, Wuxia and Shen, Jingyue and Banerjee, Achyut Kumar and Lin, Yuting and Hou, Zhuangwei and Lei, Yutian and Ke, Shijie and Wang, Jiakai and Duan, Fuyuan and Zhang, Nannan and Huang, Yelin
Document Language:	Language English
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Genome evolution; Malvaceae; Paleo-polyploidization; Polyploidy; Post-polyploid diploidization
Subjects:	Natural Sciences Natural Sciences > Life sciences; biology
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bhopal > Arts and Sciences
Full Text Status:	None
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/7659
Publisher URL:	https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/

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