# Telomere Length Variation in Model Bryophytes

## TL;DR

This study explores telomere length variation in bryophytes, revealing significant natural differences that may influence evolutionary adaptations in these ancient plants.

## Contribution

The study reports natural telomere length variation in bryophytes, including sex-based differences in dioecious species.

## Key findings

- All analyzed moss and liverwort genotypes have relatively short telomeres.
- There is substantial natural variation in telomere length among ecotypes and isolates.
- Telomere length differs between male and female strains in dioecious species.

## Abstract

The ends of linear chromosomes of most eukaryotes consist of protein-bound DNA arrays called telomeres, which play essential roles in protecting genome integrity. Despite general evolutionary conservation in function, telomeric DNA is known to drastically vary in length and sequence between different eukaryotic lineages. Bryophytes are a group of early diverging land plants that include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. This group of ancient land plants recently emerged as a new model for important discoveries in genomics and evolutionary biology, as well as for understanding plant adaptations to a terrestrial lifestyle. We measured telomere length in different ecotypes of model bryophyte species, including Physcomitrium patens, Marchantia polymorpha, Ceratodon purpureus, and in Sphagnum isolates. Our data indicate that all analyzed moss and liverwort genotypes have relatively short telomeres. Furthermore, all analyzed ecotypes and isolates of model mosses and liverworts display evidence of substantial natural variation in telomere length. Interestingly, telomere length also differs between male and female strains of the dioecious liverwort M. polymorpha and dioecious moss C. purpureus. Given that bryophytes are extraordinarily well adapted to different ecological niches from polar to tropical environments, our data will contribute to understanding the impact of natural telomere length variation on evolutionary adaptations in this ancient land plant lineage.