Premium
Nuclear DNA Content of Perennial Grasses of the Triticeae
Author(s) -
Vogel Kenneth P.,
Arumuganathan K.,
Jensen Kevin B.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1999.0011183x003900020009x
Subject(s) - triticeae , polyploid , biology , nuclear dna , elymus , genome , ploidy , leymus , genome size , botany , genetics , poaceae , gene , mitochondrial dna , grassland , ecology
Nuclear DNA content was determined by flow cytometry for an array of perennial species of the Triticeae (Poaceae) which characterize the tribe and are representative of the genomes of the Triticeae. The mean nuclear DNA content expressed on a diploid basis (DNA pg/2C) for the diploid genomes (in parentheses) were as follows: Agropyron (PP) 13.9 pg, Pseudoroegneria (StSt) 8.8 pg, Hordeum (HH) 9.5 pg, Psathyrostachys (NsNs) 16.7 pg, and Thinopyrum genomes (E b E b ) 14.9 pg and (E e E e ) 12.0 pg. The YY genome in Elymus was determined by difference to be 9.3 pg. The unknown or XmXm genome or genomes in Leymus could have DNA contents that range from 2.7 to 7.7 pg/2C. There were significant differences in DNA content of species with similar diploid genomes. There were also significant differences in nuclear DNA content among polyploid species with the same genomes. In general, the nuclear DNA content of the polyploid species of the Triticeae were similar to the expected DNA contents on the basis of previous genomic classifications. However, in some allopolyploid genera such as Thinopyrum and Pascopyrum , the nuclear DNA content of some species was less than expected on the basis of summation of the DNA of constituent genomes. The results indicate that gain or loss of nuclear DNA has occurred during the evolution of the perennial Triticeae and was probably a part of speciation.