Abstract
Nuclear DNA amounts have been determined for 42 species of crustaceans bringing the total number of species with known nuclear DNA content to over 70. Genome size in Crustacea varies over a 25-fold range with a modal value of 2 to 3 pg haploid being common in many groups. Both average genome size and the amount of variability among species are characteristic for certain groups. A trend towards small genomes is evident in advanced and specialized crustacean groups. Somatic polyploidy is a very pronounced feature of the Crustacea. The data suggest that evolution by polyploidy may be more common in crustaceans than earlier data had indicated. These features and the presence of very characteristic satellite fractions in the nuclear DNA recommend the Crustacea for further studies in evolutionary genetics.
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Bachmann, K., Rheinsmith, E.L. Nuclear DNA amounts in pacific Crustacea . Chromosoma 43, 225–236 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294271
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294271