Polyploid organisms abound, but long-term polyploid establishment is much rarer and likely not random. Hence, polyploidy is considered either an evolutionary dead end or a force helping organisms survive environmental changes and stress. How and why polyploids, especially autopolyploids, might outcompete nonpolyploids during times of environmental upheaval is unclear. On a longer timescale, whole-genome duplications may increase genetic robustness and variation, but their benefits on the short term are harder to explain. We show that duplicating genomes and their encoded gene regulatory networks increase signal output variation, leading to niche expansion and increased potential for surviving environmental turmoil. These findings highlight how polyploidy might help organisms adapt to changing conditions and survive disruption but might be maladaptive under stable conditions.
