Article Challenges of Genotyping Polyploid Species

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Is the term genome applicable to all ploidy levels?:

in my opinion: Yes

The correct definition of the term "genome": the entire DNA content of an organism. So, it is applicable to all ploidy levels. The two basic characters of an information storage molecule are replication and error correction which is found only in DNA. Though RNA is the genetic element in many viruses, viruses are not considered to be true living organisms as they cannot replicate their genome without the help of the host organism.

Yes. It is.

Kandasamy Ulaganathan's answer is correct that the term genome applies to the DNA (or RNA in the case of RNA viruses) content of an organism regardless of whether it is diploid or polyploid. It is often used loosely to refer to nuclear DNA in higher organisms, as opposed to the mitochondrial genome.

Agreed with colleagues above. Genome should refer to all the information an organism carries, whether it's diploidy or polyploidy. Since the information carried in different DNA copies usually differs, in my opinion it's the entirety of all the information that makes up the genome.

Before going to the answer we must consider the context in which both aforementioned terminologies are used.

• Genome as other explained is the Total DNA/genetic information of the cell/specimen. Genome consist of nuclear DNA and extra nuclear DNA in chloroplast & mitochondria (eukaryotes), circular chromosome & plasmids in bacterial cell and genetic material (DNA/RNA) in viral cell.
• Ploidy is the term used to define largely the set of chromosomes of an organism. Diploid for 2 sets of chromosomes, octaploid for 8. However, this do not consider or say anything about the extra nuclear genomic constituents.
• Term genome can be used from viruses to higher organisms, while term ploidy is largely used of the higher organisms (eukaryotes) which has nuclear DNA in form of chromosomes.
• This discussion can further be elaborated if we consider the cell cycle in which ploidy level can only be define when the DNA is in chromosomal form METAPHASE Or what can be represented in karyogram.

Hence, ploidy would be a sub classification of genome. And these terminologies can not and should not be used to make comparison or used alternatively.