Chromosome Changes and Karyotype Evolution in Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Chromosome variation is one of the most investigated topics in higher plants.

For over a century, the number and morphology of chromosomes, the traits most detectable with simple cytological techniques, have been widely used to deduce important evolutionary events and to obtain information of phylogenetic relevance.

One of the first significant results of these studies is the discovery of polyploidy, that is, the massive increase in the number of chromosomes due to the multiplication of entire basic sets. Advances in chromosome analysis have enabled further progress, revealing that other mechanisms, such as ascending or descending dysploidy, have played a substantial role in the numerical and morphological changes of chromosomes and, ultimately, in karyotype evolution.

Cytogenetic data acquired during the past decades have irrefutably demonstrated the relationship between chromosome changes and the evolutionary history of plants. However, the effective consequences of karyotype diversity in plant evolution are still highly debated. There is evidence that karyotype changes act as driving forces in plant speciation by preventing hybridization through the rapid establishment of postzygotic crossing barriers. In contrast, chromosome changes are often regarded as a phenomenon that would only have reinforced or followed the speciation already begun by other factors. In the world of plants, there is still much to discover. New case studies will increase our understanding of karyotype diversity in plants by revealing different evolutionary paths in different plant taxa.

The purpose of this Special Issue of Plants, entitled “Chromosome Changes and Karyotype Evolution in Plants”, is to collect articles addressing the vast topic of chromosome diversity and its implications for plant evolution. Articles regarding new case studies are particularly welcome, as is the application of innovative techniques of analysis. We are encouraging the study of karyotype diversity, genome, and chromosome evolution in species or groups of species that have been ignored by cytogeneticists until now, and we invite researchers to offer us their results for this Special Issue. It is our conviction that the more we know about chromosome evolution, the better we can understand the complex mechanisms operating in plant evolution.

To realize this goal, we encourage the submission of original articles, reviews, and mini-reviews on the following:

• Karyotype evolution and speciation;
• Evolutionary pathways of karyotype diversity;
• Dysploidy events and spaciation;
• Insights into chromosome changes and genome evolution;
• Karyotype evolution and phylogeny;
• Genomic changes after polyploidization.

Dr. Egizia Falistocco
Dr. Marilena Ceccarelli
Guest Editors

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• karyotype evolution and speciation
• evolutionary pathways of karyotype diversity
• dysploidy events and spaciation
• insights into chromosome changes and genome evolution
• karyotype evolution and phylogeny
• genomic changes after polyploidization