Why do species vary in their rate of molecular evolution?

Bromham, Lindell

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0136

Cited by 230 publications

(216 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In the MMR-deficient plants, where mutations are accumulated primarily due to replication errors, the rate of molecular evolution over time in SD plants is more than threefold lower than LD plants, a difference entirely accounted for by the length of the generation time. Although multiple factors are likely involved in determining the mutation rate (11,51), replication errors are an intrinsic feature of DNA replication and must therefore play some role in determining the rate of molecular evolution. It has therefore been proposed that differences in rates of mitosis can account for the observed differences in rate variation across lineages, with larger plants having overall lower rates of mitosis (50).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germline replications and somatic mutation accumulation are independent of vegetative life span inArabidopsis

Watson

Platzer

Kazda

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In plants, gametogenesis occurs late in development, and somatic mutations can therefore be transmitted to the next generation. Longer periods of growth are believed to result in an increase in the number of cell divisions before gametogenesis, with a concomitant increase in mutations arising due to replication errors. However, there is little experimental evidence addressing how many cell divisions occur before gametogenesis. Here, we measured loss of telomeric DNA and accumulation of replication errors in Arabidopsis with short and long life spans to determine the number of replications in lineages leading to gametes. Surprisingly, the number of cell divisions within the gamete lineage is nearly independent of both life span and vegetative growth. One consequence of the relatively stable number of replications per generation is that older plants may not pass along more somatically acquired mutations to their offspring. We confirmed this hypothesis by genomic sequencing of progeny from young and old plants. This independence can be achieved by hierarchical arrangement of cell divisions in plant meristems where vegetative growth is primarily accomplished by expansion of cells in rapidly dividing meristematic zones, which are only rarely refreshed by occasional divisions of more quiescent cells. We support this model by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine retention experiments in shoot and root apical meristems. These results suggest that stem-cell organization has independently evolved in plants and animals to minimize mutations by limiting DNA replication. mutation rate | shoot apical meristem | germline | mismatch repair | telomeres

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germline replications and somatic mutation accumulation are independent of vegetative life span inArabidopsis

Watson

Platzer

Kazda

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…In all three of these cases, the faster-evolving plants (annuals, herbs and non-arborescent ferns) are likely to have higher rates of mitosis than their more slowly evolving relatives (perennials, woody species and tree ferns), although we also note that the faster-evolving plants are also likely to have shorter generation times in all of these cases. The ROM hypothesis might also explain why generation times correlate with rates of molecular evolution in animals, but not in plants 20,21,36 , because generation times are a reliable predictor of rates of mitosis in animals, but not in plants. Finally, the ROM hypothesis might explain previously observed correlations between rates of molecular evolution and environmental energy 3 , latitude 2 and water availability 5 in plants.…”

Section: Article Nature Communications | Doi: 101038/ncomms2836mentioning

confidence: 99%

Taller plants have lower rates of molecular evolution

et al. 2013

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Rates of molecular evolution have a central role in our understanding of many aspects of species' biology. However, the causes of variation in rates of molecular evolution remain poorly understood, particularly in plants. Here we show that height accounts for about onefifth of the among-lineage rate variation in the chloroplast and nuclear genomes of plants. This relationship holds across 138 families of flowering plants, and when accounting for variation in species richness, temperature, ultraviolet radiation, latitude and growth form. Our observations can be explained by a link between height and rates of genome copying in plants, and we propose a mechanistic hypothesis to account for this-the 'rate of mitosis' hypothesis. This hypothesis has the potential to explain many disparate observations about rates of molecular evolution across the tree of life. Our results have implications for understanding the evolutionary history and future of plant lineages in a changing world.

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“…As mutation rate [18], effective population size [19] and population differentiation [20] are species-specific parameters that may differ substantially among even closely related species, an intraspecific approach to test the ESH may account for these complications. In addition, intraspecific divergence processes are the starting point of speciation [21,22] and may thus present a better model for establishing a functional link between temperature and speciation rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Support for the evolutionary speed hypothesis from intraspecific population genetic data in the non-biting midgeChironomus riparius

et al. 2016

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The evolutionary speed hypothesis (ESH) proposes a causal mechanism for the latitudinal diversity gradient. The central idea of the ESH is that warmer temperatures lead to shorter generation times and increased mutation rates. On an absolute time scale, both should lead to an acceleration of selection and drift. Based on the ESH, we developed predictions regarding the distribution of intraspecific genetic diversity: populations of ectothermic species with more generations per year owing to warmer ambient temperatures should be more differentiated from each other, accumulate more mutations and show evidence for increased mutation rates compared with populations in colder regions. We used the multivoltine insect species Chironomus riparius to test these predictions with cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequence data and found that populations from warmer regions are indeed significantly more differentiated and have significantly more derived haplotypes than populations from colder regions. We also found a significant correlation of the annual mean temperature with the population mutation parameter u that serves as a proxy for the per generation mutation rate under certain assumptions. This pattern could be corroborated with two nuclear loci. Overall, our results support the ESH and indicate that the thermal regime experienced may be crucially driving the evolution of ectotherms and may thus ultimately govern their speciation rate.

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Why do species vary in their rate of molecular evolution?

Cited by 230 publications

References 24 publications

Germline replications and somatic mutation accumulation are independent of vegetative life span inArabidopsis

Germline replications and somatic mutation accumulation are independent of vegetative life span inArabidopsis

Taller plants have lower rates of molecular evolution

Support for the evolutionary speed hypothesis from intraspecific population genetic data in the non-biting midgeChironomus riparius

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