Abstract:
Polyploidy, resulting from the duplication of the entire genome of an organism or
cell, greatly affects genes and genomes, cells and tissues, organisms, and even
entire ecosystems. Despite the wide-reaching importance of polyploidy, communication
across disciplinary boundaries to identify common themes at different
scales has been almost nonexistent. However, a critical need remains to understand
commonalities that derive from shared polyploid cellular processes across
organismal diversity, levels of biological organization, and fields of inquiry – from
biodiversity and biocomplexity to medicine and agriculture. Here, we review the
current understanding of polyploidy at the organismal and suborganismal levels,
identify shared research themes and elements, and propose new directions to
integrate research on polyploidy toward confronting interdisciplinary grand challenges
of the 21st century.
