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Cited by 289

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 60 of the 60 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A single evolutionary innovation drives the deep evolution of symbiotic N2-fixation in angiosperms

Open access
Werner, Gijsbert D. A., Cornwell, William K., Sprent, Janet I., Kattge, Jens, Kiers, E. Toby·2014·Nature Communications

Abstract

Symbiotic associations occur in every habitat on earth, but we know very little about their evolutionary histories. Current models of trait evolution cannot adequately reconstruct the deep history of symbiotic innovation, because they assume homogenous evolutionary processes across millions of years. Here we use a recently developed, heterogeneous and quantitative phylogenetic framework to study the origin of the symbiosis between angiosperms and nitrogen-fixing (N2) bacterial symbionts housed in nodules. We compile the largest database of global nodulating plant species and reconstruct the symbiosis’ evolution. We identify a single, cryptic evolutionary innovation driving symbiotic N2-fixation evolution, followed by multiple gains and losses of the symbiosis, and the subsequent emergence of ‘stable fixers’ (clades extremely unlikely to lose the symbiosis). Originating over 100 MYA, this innovation suggests deep homology in symbiotic N2-fixation. Identifying cryptic innovations on the tree of life is key to understanding the evolution of complex traits, including symbiotic partnerships. Symbiotic associations are widespread, yet their evolutionary histories remain poorly understood. Here, Werner et. al.show a single evolutionary innovation driving symbiotic nitrogen fixation, followed by multiple gains and losses of the symbiosis and the emergence of groups with stable nitrogen fixers.

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Metadata

Authors
Werner, G. D. A., Cornwell, W. K., Sprent, J. I., Kattge, J., & Kiers, E. T.
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2014-06-10
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
4087-4087
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2031705623
Cited by
289
References
60
FWCI
28.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
hybrid

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: A single evolutionary innovation drives the deep evolution of symbiotic N2-fixation in angiosperms. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1038/ncomms5087
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Werner, G. D. A., Cornwell, W. K., Sprent, J. I., Kattge, J., & Kiers, E. T. (2014). A single evolutionary innovation drives the deep evolution of symbiotic N2-fixation in angiosperms. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5087

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.