Autopolyploid

/ˌɔːtəʊˈpɒlɪplɔɪd/ noun, adjective

Definition

An organism with multiple sets of chromosomes that are all identical copies from the same species, resulting in extra genetic material.

Etymology

From auto- (self) + polyploid (many sets of chromosomes). The term emerged in genetics in the early 20th century to describe organisms with multiple complete chromosome sets.

Kelly Says

Many crop plants like wheat and strawberries are autopolyploids—they accidentally doubled their chromosomes, which sometimes made them bigger and hardier, which is why we ended up farming them.

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