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Cited by 314

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 91 of the 91 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Genome reduction as the dominant mode of evolution

Open access
Wolf, Yuri I., Koonin, Eugene V.·2013·BioEssays

Abstract

A common belief is that evolution generally proceeds towards greater complexity at both the organismal and the genomic level, numerous examples of reductive evolution of parasites and symbionts notwithstanding. However, recent evolutionary reconstructions challenge this notion. Two notable examples are the reconstruction of the complex archaeal ancestor and the intron‐rich ancestor of eukaryotes. In both cases, evolution in most of the lineages was apparently dominated by extensive loss of genes and introns, respectively. These and many other cases of reductive evolution are consistent with a general model composed of two distinct evolutionary phases: the short, explosive, innovation phase that leads to an abrupt increase in genome complexity, followed by a much longer reductive phase, which encompasses either a neutral ratchet of genetic material loss or adaptive genome streamlining. Quantitatively, the evolution of genomes appears to be dominated by reduction and simplification, punctuated by episodes of complexification.

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Crossref · 10.1002/bies.201300037

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Metadata

Authors
Wolf, Y. I., & Koonin, E. V.
Venue
BioEssays
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2013-06-25
Volume
35
Issue
9
Pages
829-837
ISSN
  • 0265-9247 (ISSN-L)
  • 1521-1878
OpenAlex
W1573821798
Cited by
314
References
91
FWCI
2.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
hybrid

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Genome reduction as the dominant mode of evolution. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1002/bies.201300037
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Wolf, Y. I., & Koonin, E. V. (2013). Genome reduction as the dominant mode of evolution. BioEssays. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201300037

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