Genome analyses provide insights into Engelhardia’s adaptation to East Asia summer monsoon

作者：Min Li, Jing-Jing Wu, Rina Su, Ou‐Yan Fang, Xiang Cai, Pei‐Han Huang, Xiaoyang Gao, Xinxing Fu, Xiaohui Ma, Liang-Ying He, Yi‐Gang Song, Guo‐Xiong Hu, Shi‐Shun Zhou, Yun‐Hong Tan, Yves Van de Peer, Jie Li, Shengdan Wu, Hong‐Hu Meng · 发表于：Acta Botanica Yunnanica · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.pld.2025.07.003 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases、Tree-ring climate responses、Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies

Genetic information has been instrumental in elucidating the relationship between the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs). However, how the genomic insights of EBLFs’ species correspond to environmental shifts induced by the EASM remains limited. In this study, we investigated the adaptive mechanisms of evergreen Engelhardia species in response to the EASM through genome sequencing and comparative genomic analyses from the de novo genome assemblies of five closely related Engelhardia taxa and one Rhoiptelea species. Our findings revealed that the divergence of evergreen trees from their sister deciduous species is closely associated with the onset and intensification of the EASM. This genomic transition may have coincided with a significant expansion of the terpene synthase (TPS) gene family in E. fenzelii , driven by four distinct modes of gene duplication. This expansion enhances the biosynthesis of terpene volatiles, providing a defensive mechanism against potential herbivory in EASM affected environments. We also identified a shared whole-genome duplication (WGD) event across Engelhardia , along with substantial differences in transposable element (TE) composition and activity, which contributed to genome size variation between E. fenzelii and E. roxburghiana . In addition, demographic analyses revealed a continuous population decline over the past 10 million years, further exacerbated by recent human disturbance, unders...