Genome evolution is the study of how the genetic material of organisms changes over time in sequence, size, organization, and content, and of the mechanisms that drive and constrain those changes. It encompasses point mutations and rearrangements, gene duplication and loss, the gain and reorganization of regulatory …
Genome evolution is the study of how the genetic material of organisms changes over time in sequence, size, organization, and content, and of the mechanisms that drive and constrain those changes. It encompasses point mutations and rearrangements, gene duplication and loss, the gain and reorganization of regulatory elements, and large-scale alterations in chromosome and genome architecture, all acted upon by natural selection, genetic drift, and other evolutionary forces. These processes underlie the diversity of life and the molecular differences that distinguish species. A central theme is the relationship between genomic change and the origin of species, examined through the concept of ontogenes and models of speciation, including work in Drosophila that connects developmental genetics to the emergence of new forms. Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of genes and proteins, such as the conservation of protein domains and gene architecture across metazoans, reveal how genomic features are retained or modified across lineages, while the conservation of regulatory genes like Hox illustrates deep constraints on genome organization. The field also considers unusual drivers of genomic change, including the interplay between natural nuclear reactors and microbial evolution, and extends to biotechnological exploitation of genomic diversity in organisms such as yeast. By tracing how genomes are reshaped over evolutionary time, this area illuminates the molecular history of life and the origins of disease and adaptation.
8 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 8 articles above have been cited 27 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Genome Evolution, linking to each citing work.