Genome evolution articles from across Nature Portfolio

An analysis of Y chromosomes from 29 primate species shows lineage-specific evolutionary strata as well as changes in the 3D structure, rearrangements and positive selection that have shaped the primate Y chromosome over the past 80 million years.

Sequences of almost 800 wheat genomes have retraced the history of wheat: when and where it was domesticated, how cultivation spread from its Middle Eastern centre of origin and how the genome adapted to selective pressures in new agricultural habitats, not least thanks to its ability to take up genes from wild cousins.

Kiwifruit are a dioecious species with genetic sex determination that involves genes in a male-specific region of the Y chromosome. One Y-encoded sex determining gene, Shy Girl, also controls sexually dimorphic traits. This property can explain our observation of recurrent recent changes in these genes’ location in related species.

By sequencing and analyzing the genomes of the partially and fully mycoheterotrophic orchids Platanthera zijinensis and P. guangdongensis, respectively, we reveal not only the potential molecular basis underlying important mycoheterotrophic traits, but also nutrient supplement mechanisms in the early and later stage of mycoheterotrophic growth, illuminating the evolution of mycoheterotrophic plants.

Using whole-genome sequencing and haplotype tracking, Viluma et al. show that the small, highly inbred Scandinavian wolf population has lost substantial genetic diversity over a 30-year period. Their findings have important implications for the management and conservation of endangered species.

A paper in Cell reports a chromosome-level genome assembly and methylome for the conifer Pinus tabuliformis. At 25.4 Gb, it the largest gymnosperm genome available to date and provides insight into conifer adaptation.