Whole genome duplications (WGDs) are one of the most dramatic mutations that can be found in nature. The effects of WGD vary dramatically but can have profound impacts on an organism’s expression, cytotype, and phenotype, altering their evolutionary trajectory as a result. Despite the growing appreciation for the contribution of WGDs in animal evolution, the significant factors influencing how polyploid animal lineages are established and maintained are still not well understood. Many hypotheses have been proposed which predict how climate and environment may influence polyploid incidence and evolution. To test and distinguish between these hypotheses, I assembled a global dataset of polyploid occurrences in three animal clades (Amphibia, Actinopterygii, and Insecta). The dataset encompasses chromosomal, phylogenetic, environmental, and climatic data across 57,905 species in 2,223 terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions. My analysis reveals a strong latitudinal gradient in all three clades, with the tendency for polyploid taxa to occur more frequently at higher latitudes. Many variables were significant (phylogenetic ANOVA P < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction) between polyploids and diploids across taxa, notably those pertaining to temperature dynamics and glaciation. Glaciation in particular appears to be the most significant driver of polyploidy in animals, as these models had the highest relative likelihoods consistently across clades. These results contribute to a model of evolution wherein the broader genomic toolkit of polyploids facilitates adaptation and ecological resilience, enabling polyploids to colonize new or rapidly changing environments.

中文翻译：

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动物多倍体分布的全球梯度

全基因组重复 (WGD) 是自然界中最显着的突变之一。WGD 的影响差异很大，但可以对生物体的表达、细胞型和表型产生深远影响，从而改变它们的进化轨迹。尽管 WGD 在动物进化中的贡献越来越受到重视，但影响多倍体动物谱系如何建立和维持的重要因素仍未得到很好的理解。已经提出了许多假设来预测气候和环境如何影响多倍体的发生和进化。为了检验和区分这些假设，我在三个动物进化枝（两栖纲、放线蕨类和昆虫纲）中组装了一个多倍体出现的全球数据集。该数据集包括染色体、系统发育、环境、2,223 个陆地、淡水和海洋生态区的 57,905 个物种的气候数据。我的分析揭示了所有三个进化枝的强烈纬度梯度，多倍体类群倾向于在更高的纬度更频繁地出现。许多变量都很重要（系统发育方差分析P< 0.05 Bonferroni 校正后）跨类群的多倍体和二倍体之间，特别是与温度动力学和冰川作用有关的那些。尤其是冰川作用似乎是动物多倍体最重要的驱动因素，因为这些模型在进化枝中始终具有最高的相对可能性。这些结果有助于建立一个进化模型，其中更广泛的多倍体基因组工具包促进适应和生态恢复力，使多倍体能够在新的或快速变化的环境中定居。