Abstract
The origin and diversification of angiosperms, particularly their ancestral ecological niche, remain an enduring mystery. While competing hypotheses exist, the genomic mechanisms driving repeated transitions to aquatic life are poorly understood. We assembled chromosome-scale genomes for three early-diverging water lilies-Cabomba caroliniana, Barclaya longifolia, and Brasenia schreberi-integrating them with other Nymphaeales genomes for a comparative analysis. Our findings reveal that aquatic adaptation was shaped by ancient whole-genome duplications and functional remodeling of key gene modules. This includes the expansion of photosynthesis and stress-related families, the contraction of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors, and metabolic reprogramming of terpene-squalene and other stress-associated secondary pathways. These modifications enhanced energy capture, immunity modulation, and resource efficiency in aquatic environments. Collectively, our results underscore the importance of secondary aquatic adaptation in early water lilies, demonstrating that their distinctive aquatic traits can be parsimoniously explained by evolutionary changes associated with adaptation to submerged habitats.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Aquatic adaptation was shaped by ancient whole-genome duplications and functional remodeling of key gene modules in water lilies.
NymphaeaOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Chromosome-scale genomes of water lilies”
e1“Our findings reveal that aquatic adaptation was shaped by ancient whole-genome duplications and functional remodeling of key gene modules”
Claim · model-written summary
Expansion of photosynthesis and stress-related gene families was found in water lilies.
- Outcome
- expansion of photosynthesis and stress-related familiese2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Chromosome-scale genomes of water lilies”
e2“This includes the expansion of photosynthesis and stress-related families”
Claim · model-written summary
Contraction of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors was found in water lilies.
- Outcome
- contraction of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptorse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Chromosome-scale genomes of water lilies”
e3“the contraction of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors”
Claim · model-written summary
Metabolic reprogramming of terpene-squalene and other stress-associated secondary pathways was found in water lilies.
- Outcome
- metabolic reprogramming of terpene-squalene and other stress-associated secondary pathwayse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Chromosome-scale genomes of water lilies”
e4“metabolic reprogramming of terpene-squalene and other stress-associated secondary pathways”
Claim · model-written summary
The genomic modifications enhanced energy capture, immunity modulation and resource efficiency in aquatic environments.
- Outcome
- energy capture, immunity modulation, and resource efficiencye5
- Qualifier
- in aquatic environmentse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Chromosome-scale genomes of water lilies”
e5“These modifications enhanced energy capture, immunity modulation, and resource efficiency in aquatic environments”
Claim · model-written summary
The distinctive aquatic traits of water lilies can be parsimoniously explained by evolutionary changes associated with adaptation to submerged habitats.
- Outcome
- distinctive aquatic traitse6
- Qualifier
- parsimoniously explained by evolutionary changes associated with adaptation to submerged habitatse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Chromosome-scale genomes of water lilies”
e6“their distinctive aquatic traits can be parsimoniously explained by evolutionary changes associated with adaptation to submerged habitats”