Triploidy is prominent in the duckweed Lemna minor complex
Duckweeds (Lemnaceae Martinov) are aquatic monocotyledonous plants known to be the smallest and fastest-growing flowering plants on Earth. Many species are morphologically indistinguishable due to their reduced structures, yet molecular evidence suggests that visually similar clones could be distinct species or hybrids. Using a comprehensive suite of genomic, molecular and cytogenetic methods, we analyzed 58 presumed Lemna minor clones to resolve their relationships. Our study revealed extensive genome plasticity within the "Lemna minor complex," identifying diploid and triploid L. minor clones, as well as allodiploid and allotriploid interspecific hybrids, in addition to a novel African-clade L. minor lineage. Triploidy in the L. minor complex is prevalent in nature, occurring in 33% of the clones previously identified as L. minor in our collection, and is associated with enhanced growth metrics under optimal conditions. For asexually propagative species such as duckweeds, where the triploid block is not a deterrent, triploid progenies may become the majority as has been observed in numerous wild Lemna populations. Our study shows that polyploidy and hybridization in these primarily asexually propagating plants could play important roles in their population dynamics and evolution under changing environments.
Authors
- Allen Mamerto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6061-4977)
- Robert A. Martienssen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1285-9608)
- Semar Petrus
- Veit Schubert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3072-0485)
- Evan Ernst (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4213-136X)
- Bradley W. Abramson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0888-3648)
- Jörg Fuchs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4171-5371)
- Laura Morello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8854-1770)
- Nicholas Allsing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1145-1646)
- Luca Braglia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6772-5362)
- Todd P. Michael (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6272-2875)
- Manuela Bog (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9979-8336)
- Megan Wang
- Kelly Colt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9349-4325)
- Buntora Pasaribu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9639-1506)
- Tiffany Duong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3734-519X)
- Yuehua Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1343-7449)
- Eric Lam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8462-9794)
- K. Sowjanya Sree
- Ingo Schubert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6300-2068)
- Mariele Lensink
- Phuong T. N. Hoang
- Klaus-J. Appenroth
- Nolan Hartwick
Institutions
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies (US)
- Noblis (US)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (US)
- Center for Plant Conservation (US)
- Universität Greifswald (DE)
- Dalat University (VN)
- Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK) (DE)
- Jena University Hospital (DE)
- National Research Council (IT)
- Deleted Institution
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Banaras Hindu University (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Biology
- Published
- 2026-06-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10294-w
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 11.27