Genome Size in North American Fireflies: Substantial Variation Likely Driven by Neutral Processes.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic genomes show tremendous size variation across taxa. Proximate explanations for genome size variation include differences in ploidy and amounts of noncoding DNA, especially repetitive DNA. Ultimate explanations include selection on physiological correlates of genome size such as cell size, which in turn influence body size, resulting in the often-observed correlation between body size and genome size. In this study, we examined body size and repetitive DNA elements in relationship to the evolution of genome size in North American representatives of a single beetle family, the Lampyridae (fireflies). The 23 species considered represent an excellent study system because of the greater than 5-fold range of genome sizes, documented here using flow cytometry, and the 3-fold range in b

SUBMITTER: Lower SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5499882 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature