Exploring chromosome evolution in 250 million year old groups of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta:Odonata)

Abstract

Using recently published chromosome‐length genome assemblies of two damselfly species, Ischnura elegans and Platycnemis pennipes, and two dragonfly species, Pantala flavescens and Tanypteryx hageni, we demonstrate that the autosomes of Odonata have undergone few fission, fusion, or inversion events, despite 250 million years of separation. In the four genomes discussed here, our results show that all autosomes have a clear ortholog in the ancestral karyotype. Despite this clear chromosomal orthology, we demonstrate that different factors, including concentration of repeat dynamics, GC content, relative position on the chromosome, and the relative proportion of coding sequence all influence the density of syntenic blocks across chromosomes. However, these factors do not interact to influence synteny the same way in any two pairs of species, nor is any one factor retained in all four species. Furthermore, it was previously unknown whether the micro‐chromosomes in Odonata are descended from one ancestral chromosome. Despite structural rearrangements, our evidence suggests that the micro‐chromosomes in the sampled Odonata do indeed descend from an ancestral chromosome, and that the micro‐chromosome in P. flavescens was lost through fusion with autosomes.

Newly Sequenced Genomes Reveal Patterns of Gene Family Expansion in select Dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera)

“…An analysis of the synteny between chromosome level genome assemblies of Odonata found a high degree of conservation in chromosome structure, even between suborders [9]. In P. flavescens and T. hageni the relative proportion of CDS content was not retained in a linear model predicting the proportion of synteny in a given partition of the genome assembly, suggesting divergence in gene sequences, even though the chromosome structure was largely conserved [9]. The high gene turnover rates observed in Odonata could explain this dissociation between CDS and synteny.…”

“…This is not solely due to the age of Odonata (anisoptera and zygoptera split some 250 MA [1,4]), as the tree used to study gene family expansion in Hemiptera was estimated to have a root divergence time older than 500 Mya [17]. An analysis of the synteny between chromosome level genome assemblies of Odonata found a high degree of conservation in chromosome structure, even between suborders [9]. In P. flavescens and T. hageni the relative proportion of CDS content was not retained in a linear model predicting the proportion of synteny in a given partition of the genome assembly, suggesting divergence in gene sequences, even though the chromosome structure was largely conserved [9].…”

Untitled

“…A new genus and species of dragonflies (Odonata, Zygoptera) were discovered from the USA (Archibald, S.B., & Cannings, R. A., 2021). 250 million years ago, dragonflies and butterflies developed separately, and their current status was studied at the molecular genetic level in the scientific data of E. R. Tolman et al (2023) (Tolman, E. R., et al, 2023) Ischnura elegans and Platycnemis pennipes, and two dragonfly species, Pantala flavescens and Tanypteryx hageni, we demonstrate that the autosomes of Odonata have undergone few fission, fusion, or inversion events, despite 250 million years of separation. In the four genomes discussed here, our results show that all autosomes have a clear ortholog in the ancestral karyotype.…”

Prospects for the future study of the order Odonata order: a review of published articles from the Scopus database 2019-2023

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This article analyzes the problems in the study of perspective species of the Odonata order worldwide: a review of papers from the Scopus database published in English for the period of -2023 . During 2019-2023 articles were published about insects belonging to the Odonata order, of which 94% (776) were published in journals as scientific research results, 1% (10) articles were conference proceedings, 5% (41) and the articles were covered as a literature review.

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This article analyzes the problems in the study of perspective species of the Odonata order worldwide: a review of papers from the Scopus database published in English for the period of -2023 . During 2019-2023 articles were published about insects belonging to the Odonata order, of which 94% (776) were published in journals as scientific research results, 1% (10) articles were conference proceedings, 5% (41) and the articles were covered as a literature review. Published scientific works were analyzed in the following directions: Trends of publications on Odonata order, Journals on Odonata order, Authors and their affiliated countries, Top funding sponsors on Odonata order, Top countries on Odonata order.

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