Annals of Botany 95/1 © Annals of Botany Company 2005; all rights reserved
Evolution of DNA Amounts Across Land Plants (Embryophyta)
1 Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3DS, UK, 2 Department of Botany and the Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-5826, USA and 3 Florida Museum of Natural History and the Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA
* For correspondence. E-mail i.leitch{at}kew.org
Received: 16 December 2003 Returned for revision: 12 February 2004 Accepted: 24 March 2004
• Background and Aims DNA C-values in land plants (comprising bryophytes, lycophytes, monilophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) vary 
1000-fold from approx. 0·11 to 127·4 pg. To understand the evolutionary significance of this huge variation it is essential to evaluate the phylogenetic component. Recent increases in C-value data (e.g. Plant DNA C-values database; release 2.0, January 2003; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/cval/homepage.html) together with improved consensus of relationships between and within land plant groups makes such an analysis timely.
• Methods Insights into the distribution of C-values in each group of land plants were gained by superimposing available C-value data (4119 angiosperms, 181 gymnosperms, 63 monilophytes, 4 lycophytes and 171 bryophytes) onto phylogenetic trees. To enable ancestral C-values to be reconstructed for clades within land plants, character-state mapping with parsimony and MacClade was also applied.
• Key Results and Conclusions Different land plant groups are characterized by different C-value profiles, distribution of C-values and ancestral C-values. For example, the large (1000-fold) range yet strongly skewed distribution of C-values in angiosperms contrasts with the very narrow 12-fold range in bryophytes. Further, character-state mapping showed that the ancestral genome sizes of both angiosperms and bryophytes were reconstructed as very small (i.e. 
1·4 pg) whereas gymnosperms and most branches of monilophytes were reconstructed with intermediate C-values (i.e. >3·5, <14·0 pg). More in-depth analyses provided evidence for several independent increases and decreases in C-values; for example, decreases in Gnetaceae (Gymnosperms) and heterosperous water ferns (monilophytes); increases in Santalales and some monocots (both angiosperms), Pinaceae, Sciadopityaceae and Cephalotaxaceae (Gymnosperms) and possibly in the Psilotaceae + Ophioglossaceae clade (monilophytes). Thus, in agreement with several focused studies within angiosperm families and genera showing that C-values may both increase and decrease, it is apparent that this dynamic pattern of genome size evolution is repeated on a broad scale across land plants.
Key words: Genome size, C-values, genomic downsizing, land plants, evolution, bryophytes, pteridophytes, monilophytes, lycophytes, gymnosperms, angiosperms, algae
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  H. Saeidi, M. R. Rahiminejad, and J. S. Heslop-Harrison Retroelement Insertional Polymorphisms, Diversity and Phylogeography within Diploid, D-genome Aegilops tauschii (Triticeae, Poaceae) Sub-taxa in Iran Ann. Bot., April 1, 2008; 101(6): 855 - 861. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. J. Leitch and M. F. Fay Plant Genome Horizons: Michael Bennett's Contribution to Genome Research Ann. Bot., April 1, 2008; 101(6): 737 - 746. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Smarda, P. Bures, L. Horova, B. Foggi, and G. Rossi Genome Size and GC Content Evolution of Festuca: Ancestral Expansion and Subsequent Reduction Ann. Bot., February 1, 2008; 101(3): 421 - 433. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Smarda, P. Bures, and L. Horova Random Distribution Pattern and Non-adaptivity of Genome Size in a Highly Variable Population of Festuca pallens Ann. Bot., July 1, 2007; 100(1): 141 - 150. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. F. Kapraun Nuclear DNA Content Estimates in Green Algal Lineages: Chlorophyta and Streptophyta Ann. Bot., April 1, 2007; 99(4): 677 - 701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Vitte and J. L. Bennetzen Eukaryotic Transposable Elements and Genome Evolution Special Feature: Analysis of retrotransposon structural diversity uncovers properties and propensities in angiosperm genome evolution PNAS, November 21, 2006; 103(47): 17638 - 17643. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q. CAI, D. ZHANG, Z.-L. LIU, and X.-R. WANG Chromosomal Localization of 5S and 18S rDNA in Five Species of Subgenus Strobus and their Implications for Genome Evolution of Pinus Ann. Bot., May 1, 2006; 97(5): 715 - 722. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. Weiss-Schneeweiss, J. Greilhuber, and G. M. Schneeweiss Genome size evolution in holoparasitic Orobanche (Orobanchaceae) and related genera Am. J. Botany, December 1, 2005; 93(1): 148 - 156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Emberton, J. Ma, Y. Yuan, P. SanMiguel, and J. L. Bennetzen Gene enrichment in maize with hypomethylated partial restriction (HMPR) libraries Genome Res., October 1, 2005; 15(10): 1441 - 1446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Caetano-Anolles Evolution of Genome Size in the Grasses Crop Sci., August 1, 2005; 45(5): 1809 - 1816. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. J. M. ZONNEVELD, I. J. LEITCH, and M. D. BENNETT First Nuclear DNA Amounts in more than 300 Angiosperms Ann. Bot., August 1, 2005; 96(2): 229 - 244. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. D. BENNETT and I. J. LEITCH Plant Genome Size Research: A Field In Focus Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 1 - 6. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. F. KAPRAUN Nuclear DNA Content Estimates in Multicellular Green, Red and Brown Algae: Phylogenetic Considerations Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 7 - 44. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. D. BENNETT and I. J. LEITCH Nuclear DNA Amounts in Angiosperms: Progress, Problems and Prospects Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 45 - 90. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. L. BENNETZEN, J. MA, and K. M. DEVOS Mechanisms of Recent Genome Size Variation in Flowering Plants Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 127 - 132. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. R. GREGORY The C-value Enigma in Plants and Animals: A Review of Parallels and an Appeal for Partnership Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 133 - 146. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. CAVALIER-SMITH Economy, Speed and Size Matter: Evolutionary Forces Driving Nuclear Genome Miniaturization and Expansion Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 147 - 175. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. F. FAY, R. S. COWAN, and I. J. LEITCH The Effects of Nuclear DNA Content (C-value) on the Quality and Utility of AFLP Fingerprints Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 237 - 246. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. GREILHUBER, J. DOLEZEL, M. A. LYSAK, and M. D. BENNETT The Origin, Evolution and Proposed Stabilization of the Terms 'Genome Size' and 'C-Value' to Describe Nuclear DNA Contents Ann. Bot., January 1, 2005; 95(1): 255 - 260. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|