Polyploidy did not predate the evolution of nodulation in all legumes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Several lines of evidence indicate that polyploidy occurred by around 54 million years ago, early in the history of legume evolution, but it has not been known whether this event was confined to the papilionoid subfamily (Papilionoideae; e.g. beans, medics, lupins) or occurred earlier. Determining the timing of the polyploidy event is important for understanding whether polyploidy might have contributed to rapid diversification and radiation of the legumes near the origin of the family; and whether polyploidy might have provided genetic material that enabled the evolution of a novel organ, the nitrogen-fixing nodule. Although symbioses with nitrogen-fixing partners have evolved in several lineages in the rosid I clade, nodules are widespread only in legume taxa, being ne

SUBMITTER: Cannon SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2905438 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature