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Genome size variation among and within Ophiopogoneae species by flow cytometric analysis

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Abstract

Genome size variation in a taxonomic group reflects evolutionary processes. DNA contents of Ophiopogoneae (40 populations of 31 species) were estimated by flow cytometry. Ploidy levels of Ophiopogon (ten species), Liriope (two species), and Peliosanthes (three species) were determined based on the DNA contents. The genus Peliosanthes showed significant larger genome sizes than Ophiopogon (P < 0.01), and Ophiopogon also significant larger than Liriope (P < 0.05). Intraspecific variation in genome size was mainly chromosome difference. The ITS sequence phylogeny splitted Ophiopogon into two clades, clade I comprising sect. Ophiopogon with diploids and tetraploids, and clade II including transitional species and sects. Ophiopogon and Peliosanthoides with diploids. The trend seemed to increase in genome size from Ophiopogon sect. Peliosanthoides (13.45 pg) to Ophiopogon sect. Ophiopogon (14.27 pg). Polyploidization may be evolutionary direction of Ophiopogon. Our results also suggested that the ‘increase’ hypothesis for genome size evolutionary may hold true in the genus Ophiopogon.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Hu Guangwan for providing certain necessary materials. The study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Major State Basic Research Development Program (2010CB951700), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 40930209 to H. Sun), and the General Project of Natural Science Research in Anhui Province (AQKJ2015B018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, The Province Key Laboratory of the Biodiversity Study and Ecology Conservation in Southwest Anhui, Anqing Normal University, Anqing, 246133, Anhui, China

    Guangyan Wang

  2. Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China

    Guangyan Wang, Ying Meng & Yongping Yang

  3. Plant Germplasm and Genomics Center, The Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China

    Guangyan Wang, Ying Meng & Yongping Yang

  4. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China

    Ying Meng & Yongping Yang

  5. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Guangyan Wang

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  1. Guangyan Wang
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  2. Ying Meng
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Correspondence to Yongping Yang.

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40415_2016_358_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Fluorescence histograms illustrating the nuclear DNA content of eight species obtained by flow cytometric analysis of propidium iodide-stained nuclei isolated from silica gel-dried leaves. a. Zea mays; b. O. bodinieri, diploids; c. O. szechuansis, diploids; d. O. latifolius, diploids; e. O. japonicus, tetraploids; f. O. zingiberaceus, tetraploids; g. O. japonicus, tetraploids; h. L. platyphylla, diploids; i. P. ophiopogoniodes, diploids (TIFF 3960 kb)

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Wang, G., Meng, Y. & Yang, Y. Genome size variation among and within Ophiopogoneae species by flow cytometric analysis. Braz. J. Bot 40, 529–537 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-016-0358-8

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