Biology Commons^™

Genome Size Is A Strong Predictor Of Cell Size And Stomatal Density In Angiosperms, Jeremy M. Beaulieu, Ilia J. Leitch, Sunil Patil, Arjun Pendharkar, Charles A. Knight

Biological Sciences

• Across eukaryotes phenotypic correlations with genome size are thought to scale from genome size effects on cell size. However, for plants the genome/cell size link has only been thoroughly documented within ploidy series and small subsets of herbaceous species. • Here, the first large-scale comparative analysis is made of the relationship between genome size and cell size across 101 species of angiosperms of varying growth forms. Guard cell length and epidermal cell area were used as two metrics of cell size and, in addition, stomatal density was measured. • There was a significant positive relationship between genome size and …

Genome Size Evolution In Relation To Leaf Strategy And Metabolic Rates Revisited, Jeremy M. Beaulieu, Ilia J. Leitch, Charles A. Knight

Biological Sciences

• Background and AimsIt has been proposed that having too much DNA may carry physiological consequences for plants. The strong correlation between DNA content, cell size and cell division rate could lead to predictable morphological variation in plants, including a negative relationship with leaf mass per unit area (LMA). In addition, the possible increased demand for resources in species with high DNA content may have downstream effects on maximal metabolic efficiency, including decreased metabolic rates.

• MethodsTests were made for genome size-dependent variation in LMA and metabolic rates (mass-based photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate) using our own …

Correlated Evolution Of Genome Size And Seed Mass, Jeremy M. Beaulieu, Angela T. Moles, Ilia J. Leitch, Michael D. Bennett, John B. Dickie, Charles A. Knight

Biological Sciences

• Previous investigators have identified strong positive relationships between genome size and seed mass within species, and across species from the same genus and family. • Here, we make the first broad-scale quantification of this relationship, using data for 1222 species, from 139 families and 48 orders. We analyzed the relationship between genome size and seed mass using a statistical framework that included four different tests. • A quadratic relationship between genome size and seed mass appeared to be driven by the large genome/seed mass gymnosperms and the many small genome size/large seed mass angiosperms. Very small seeds were never …