Final answer:
Genome duplication, or polyploidy, occurs in various organisms and plays a fundamental role in the evolution of genomes, including segmental duplications that have influenced karyotypes and genome structures in primates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking about the phenomenon of genome duplication or polyploidy, which is not specific to a single genus but can occur in various organisms, particularly plants. In the context of human evolution and genome composition, researchers like Violaine Goidts and others have studied segmental duplication in chromosomes, such as the human-specific inversion of chromosome 18, which demonstrates the significance of such duplications in primates' karyotype and genome evolution.
In eukaryotes, including humans, repetitive DNA is a widespread phenomenon. Studies like the ones mentioned above illustrate how segmental duplications play fundamental roles in driving karyotype configurations and the ongoing evolution of genomes. It is worth mentioning that genome duplication may involve various components of the genome, including transposable elements, as noted by Hughes and Friedman, and could be the consequence of processes like horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes as suggested by Treangen and Rocha.