Genome Size Variation and Plant Systematics

Plant genome size variation: bloating and purging DNA.

Plant genome size variation is a dynamic process of bloating and purging DNA. While it was thought plants were on a path to obesity through continual DNA bloating, recent research supports that most plants activity purge DNA. Plant genome size research has greatly benefited from the cataloguing of genome size estimates at the Kew Plant DNA C-values Database, and the recent availability of over ...

The matK gene: sequence variation and application in plant systematics.

Although the matK gene has been used in addressing systematic questions in four families, its potential application to plant systematics above the family level has not been investigated. This paper examines the rates, patterns, and types of nucleotide substitutions in the gene and addresses its utility in constructing phylogenies above the family level. Eleven complete sequences from the GenBan...

Genomics, bioinformatics, and plant systematics

Genomics and bioinformatics are emerging disciplines that have the potential to fundamentally alter current approaches to molecular systematics. The sequencing of eukaryotic genomes has demonstrated the ability to obtain and interpret nucleotide sequences at a scale and efficiency that was unimaginable just a few years ago. The immense amount of sequence information generated by genome projects...

Genome size variation in lepidopteran insects

Little information is available on genome size diversity among insects, even in otherwise well-studied groups such as the Lepidoptera. In fact, only six lepidopteran species have been studied to date. The present study therefore represents the first attempt to survey genome size variation in this group, giving estimates for more than 50 species and increasing the coverage of the order to 15 fam...

Plant Systematics: Beginnings and Endings