Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Chromosome number shapes genome organization, recombination, and speciation, yet how fast it evolves across the tree of life has never been measured. We analyzed 63,682 karyotypes across 55 eukaryotic clades and found that dysploidy rates vary by 844-fold, from approximately 0.0008 to 0.7 events per million years. This variation does not follow kingdom boundaries or deep phylogeny; intraclade variance exceeds interclade differences by more than an order of magnitude. Even birds, the textbook example of chromosomal stasis, exceed the global median rate once microchromosome dynamics are resolved. Contrasting the stasis of Odonata with the volatility of Orchidaceae reveals that life history and population structure, rather than deep phylogenetic constraints, govern the tempo of karyotypic change.
Authors: Megan Copeland, Meghann McConnell, Andres Barboza, Hannah M Abraham, James Alfieri, Steven Arackal, Carrie E Bernard, Kiedon Bryant, Shelbie Cast, Sean Chien, Emily Clark, Cassandra E Cruz, Aileen Y Diaz, Olivia Deiterman, Riya Girish, Kaya Harper, Carl E Hjelmen, Michelle J Thompson, Rachel Koehl, Tanvi Koneru, Kenzie Laird, Yoonseo Lee, Virginia R Lopez, Mallory Murphy, Nayeli Perez, Gideon H Schlab, Sarah Schmalz, Terrence Sylvester, Heath Blackmon
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7154582041
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