polyploidy

One is the wholesale copying of the genome inside the nucleus, known as polyploidy.

Unlike in humans, where multiple genomes are usually fatal, polyploidy can have advantages for the plants affected.

"It's pretty clear that this polyploidy event predated modern humans and the cultivation of coffee."

Sugarcane's genome is so complex both because it is large and because it contains more copies of chromosomes than a typical plant, a feature called polyploidy.

Their findings are presented today in a peer-reviewed publication in the scientific journal Nature Plants, entitled "Seagrass genomes reveal ancient polyploidy and adaptations to the marine environment."