Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Whole-genome duplication is known to influence ecological interactions and plant physiology; however, despite abundant case studies, much is still unknown about the typical impact of genome duplication on plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). In this study, we assessed the impact of polyploidy events on PSM characteristics in non-cultivated plants. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare composition and concentration of PSMs among closely related plant species or species complexes differing in ploidy level. KEY RESULTS: We assessed 53 studies that focus on PSMs among multiple cytotypes, of which only 14 studies compared concentration quantitatively among cytotypes. We found that whole-genome duplication can have a significant effect on PSM concentration; however, these effects are highly inconsistent. CONCLUSION: Overall, there was no consistent effect of whole-genome duplication on PSM concentrations or profiles.