Genome diversity and evolution of the duckweed section Alatae comprising diploids, polyploids, and interspecific hybrids

The section Alatae of genus Lemna of the monocotyledonous aquatic duckweed family (Lemnaceae) consists of rather diverse accessions with unknown phylogeny and unclear taxonomic assignment. In contrast to other duckweeds, some Alatae accessions, in addition to mainly vegetative propagation, produce readily flowers and viable seeds. We analyzed the genomic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of 52 Alatae accessions. For this purpose, we applied multiple molecular and cytogenetic approaches, including plastid and nuclear sequence polymorphisms, chromosome counting, genome size determination, and genomic in situ hybridization in combination with geographic distribution. We uncovered ploidy variation, recurrent hybridization, and backcrosses between species and their hybrids. The latter successfully spread over three continents. The results elucidate the evolution of Alatae accessions and explain the difficult taxonomic assignment of distinct accessions. Our study might be an example for analogous studies to resolve the hitherto unclear relationships among accessions of the duckweed genera Wolffiella and Wolffia.