Comparative Genomic Project of Arecaceae

Arecaceae, known as palms, is one of the most ancient and economically important families of monocot plants. Lines of fossil evidence support that palms are the most abundant and diversified group of plants among angiosperms and widely distributed since Late Cretaceous. The modern palms mostly locate in the tropic, subtropics, and warmer temperate zones. The comparative genome analysis of Arecaceae facilitates the research of angiosperm paleo-polyploidy genomic structures and provides basic information on genome evolution and climate changes. Here we study eleven palm species from nine genera based on genome sequences using NGS technology. According to sequencing data and C-value estimates, the genome sizes of these plants vary from 0.67G (Phoenix dactylifera) to 7.84G (Borassus flabellifer). Currently, the data coverage for the genome ranges from 200x to 23x. Some of the genome sequences are to be assembled and analyzed the details, such as shared genomic features of Phoenix dactylifera, Cocos nucifera and Elaeis guineensis. Other assembles are to be compared based on microsyntenies and gene-centric evolutionary changes. Our research efforts provide the most up-to-date information to explain the genome and gene evolution of Arecaceae.