{
  "abstract": "Duckweeds (Lemnaceae Martinov) are aquatic monocotyledonous flowering plants comprising five genera and 35 recognized species, known for being the smallest and fastest-growing flowering plants on Earth. Many species are morphologically indistinguishable due to their highly reduced structures, yet molecular evidence suggests that visually similar clones may represent distinct species or hybrids. For example, clonal accessions of the globally distributed Lemna minor in the Landolt Duckweed Collection exhibit genome size variations of several hundred megabases (Mb), raising questions about their taxonomic classification and evolutionary origins. We analyzed 58 presumed L. minor clones to resolve these relationships using a comprehensive suite of methods, including whole-genome sequencing (WGS), flow-cytometric genome size measurements, molecular markers, chromosome counting, and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). Our findings reveal extensive genome plasticity within the “ Lemna minor complex,” identifying diploid and triploid L. minor clones, as well as di-haploid and triploid interspecific hybrids called L. × japonica ( L. minor × L. turionifera ), L. × mediterranea ( L. minor × L. gibba ), and a novel African-clade distinct from known L. minor lineages. Triploidy was prevalent, occurring in 29% of the clones, and was associated with enhanced growth under optimal conditions but reduced performance under high light and temperature. These findings highlight the widespread role of triploidy, cryptic species, and hybridization in the L. minor complex, emphasizing the importance of multiple approaches for accurately classifying duckweed species and understanding their evolutionary trajectories.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, and Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. toddpmichael@gmail.com",
    "Department of Science and Conservation, San Diego Botanical Garden, Encinitas, CA, USA. toddpmichael@gmail.com",
    "The Plant Molecular and Cellular Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA. toddpmichael@gmail.com",
    "Biology Faculty, Dalat University, Lamdong Province, Vietnam",
    "Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben, Seeland, Germany",
    "Noblis Inc., Washington, DC, USA",
    "The Plant Molecular and Cellular Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA",
    "Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA",
    "Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA",
    "Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology, National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy",
    "Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA",
    "Rutgers Duckweed Stock Cooperative, New Brunswick, NJ, USA",
    "Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate Group, Plant Sciences Department, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA",
    "Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany",
    "School of Biotechnology, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India",
    "Matthias Schleiden Institute-Genetics I, University of Jena, Jena, Germany",
    "Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA. martiens@cshl.edu",
    "Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. eric.lam@rutgers.edu",
    "Rutgers Duckweed Stock Cooperative, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. eric.lam@rutgers.edu"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 24,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Todd P. Michael",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6272-2875"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Phuong T. N. Hoang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Bradley W. Abramson",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0888-3648"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Allen Mamerto",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-6061-4977"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Buntora Pasaribu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9639-1506"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Jörg Fuchs",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4171-5371"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Evan Ernst",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4213-136X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Nicholas A. Allsing",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1145-1646"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Luca Braglia",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6772-5362"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Semar Petrus"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Veit Schubert",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3072-0485"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Nolan T. Hartwick",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7916-7791"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Megan Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        11
      ],
      "name": "Yi-Feng Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Mariele Lensink",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5057-9618"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Tiffany Duong",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-3734-519X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Kelly Colt",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-9349-4325"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "Manuela Bog",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9979-8336"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "K. Sowjanya Sree",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1356-3406"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Laura Morello",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8854-1770"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        15
      ],
      "name": "Klaus‐J. Appenroth",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6385-6645"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Ingo A. Schubert",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6300-2068"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        16
      ],
      "name": "Robert A. Martienssen",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1285-9608"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        17,
        18
      ],
      "name": "Eric Lam",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8462-9794"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a1szvj77nfd6v.bib",
  "cited_by": 7,
  "doi": "10.1038/s42003-026-10294-w",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "a1szvj77nfd6v",
  "issns": [
    "2399-3642"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10294-w",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "1110|Chromosomal and Genetic Variations"
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  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-10294-w_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13669380",
  "pmid": "42350782",
  "published": "2026-06-25",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a1szvj77nfd6v.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:08Z",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10294-w"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|Chromosomal and Genetic Variations",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Triploidy is prominent in the duckweed Lemna minor complex",
  "title_text": "Triploidy is prominent in the duckweed Lemna minor complex",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T13:20:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a1szvj77nfd6v",
  "venue": "Communications Biology",
  "versions": []
}