Chloroplast phylogenomic analysis provides insights into the evolution of the largest eukaryotic genome holder, Paris japonica (Melanthiaceae)

BACKGROUND: Robust phylogenies for species with giant genomes and closely related taxa can build evolutionary frameworks for investigating the origin and evolution of these genomic gigantisms. Paris japonica (Melanthiaceae) has the largest genome that has been confirmed in eukaryotes to date; however, its phylogenetic position remains unresolved. As a result, the evolutionary history of the genomic gigantisms in P. japonica remains poorly understood. RESULTS: We used next-generation sequencing to generate complete plastomes of P. japonica, P. verticillata, Trillium govanianum, Ypsilandra thibetica and Y. yunnanensis. Together with published plastomes, the infra-familial relationships in Melanthiaceae and infra-generic phylogeny in Paris were investigated, and their divergence times were calculated. The results indicated that the expansion of the ancestral genome of extant Paris and Trillium occurred approximately from 59.16 Mya to 38.21 Mya. The sister relationship between P. japonica and the section Euthyra was recovered, and they diverged around the transition of the Oligocene/Miocene (20 Mya), when the Japan Islands were separated from the continent of Asia. CONCLUSIONS: The genome size expansion in the most recent common ancestor for Paris and Trillium was most possibly a gradual process that lasted for approximately 20 million years. The divergence of P. japonica (section Kinugasa) and other taxa with thick rhizome may have been triggered by the isolation of the Japan Islands from the continent of Asia. This long-term separation, since the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, would have played an important role in the formation and evolution of the genomic gigantism in P. japonica. Moreover, our results support the taxonomic treatment of Paris as a genus rather than dividing it into three genera, but do not support the recognition of T. govanianum as the separate genus Trillidium. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-019-1879-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.