Genome Size Dynamics and Evolution in Monocots

By Ilia J. Leitch, Jeremy M Beaulieu, Mark W. Chase, A. Leitch, M. Fay. 2010

86 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Monocot genomic diversity includes striking variation at many levels. This paper compares various genomic characters (e.g., range of chromosome numbers and ploidy levels, occurrence of endopolyploidy, GC content, chromosome packaging and organization, genome size) between monocots and the remaining angiosperms to discern just how distinctive monocot genomes are. One of the most notable features of monocots is their wide range and diversity of genome sizes, including the species with the largest genome so far reported in plants. This genomic character is analysed in greater detail, within a phylogenetic context. By surveying available genome size and chromosome data it is apparent that different monocot orders follow distinctive modes of genome size and chromosome evolution. Further insights into genome size-evolution and dynamics were obtained using statistical modelling approaches to reconstruct the ancestral genome size at key nodes across the monocot phylogenetic tree. Such approaches reveal that while the ancestral genome size of all monocots was small (1C=1.9 pg), there have been several major increases and decreases during monocot evolution. In addition, notable increases in the rates of genome size-evolution were found in Asparagales and Poales compared with other monocot lineages.

Subfields: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Genetics, Molecular Biology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d3f1aab094b608c4a03ea52fc73054a97bd2e2bd

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

1. Ilia J. Leitch
2. Jaume Pellicer
3. M. Fay

In Genetics

1. Ilia J. Leitch
2. Jaume Pellicer
3. M. Fay

In Molecular Biology

1. Ilia J. Leitch
2. Jaume Pellicer
3. M. Fay
4. D. Soltis
5. Pamela S. Soltis
6. M. Blecher
7. S. Volis

Citations in the corpus

• The largest eukaryotic genome of them all (2010, background): “2A), which is reported to have the smallest genome size in Melanthiaceae (1C = 1.53 pg, Leitch et al., 2010), illustrates the great karyological diversity within the family.”