Genome sizes and genomic guanine+cytosine (GC) contents of the Czech vascular flora with new estimates for 1700 species

Abstract

Genome sizes and genomic guanine+cytosine (GC) contents of the Czech vascular flora with new estimates for 1700 species.-Preslia 91: 117-142. The content of DNA in the somatic, unreplicated cell nuclei (genome size) and DNA base composition (GC content) are the basic genomic parameters that can be measured by flow cytometry. Genome size, or ploidy level, can affect many plant properties and are therefore included as important features in modern biological floras and plant trait databases. However, genomic data are still largely measured mainly for taxonomic and biosystematic purposes, and despite the popularity of flow cytometry in the Czech Republic, this information is still missing for many of the vascular plants in the Czech flora. The biological significance of the GC content is less clear compared to the genome size, which, along with the greater difficulty in measuring it, results in the absence of such information for the vast majority of species. Here, we measure these two genomic parameters for 1908 samples of 1700 species in the Czech vascular flora. Here for the first time are reported the genome sizes of more than 1000 species and GC contents of more than 1500 species, which more than doubles the amount of information on the GC content of vascular plants. Together with the published data obtained in our laboratory using the same methods and flow cytometers, this information is now available for 1910 species that occur in the Czech Republic (~83% of this country's permanent flora, excluding apomicts). They are summarized in a table, accompanied by information about assumed chromosome number, ploidy level and an estimate of the monoploid genome size. We further provide a descriptive analysis of this dataset, list extreme values and comment on some cytogeographically interesting findings. This dataset is the largest and most comprehensive set of genomic data covering almost the entire flora of a country. It will serve as the basis of the karyological traits section of the Czech plant trait database Pladias (www.pladias.cz) and for testing of hypotheses about the evolution and biological relevance of these genomic parameters.

Inflorescence preformation prior to winter: a surprisingly widespread strategy that drives phenology of temperate perennial herbs

“…2C/ploidy level; Greilhuber et al ., 2005) were adopted from a flow cytometry survey by Šmarda et al . (2019). In species with multiple ploidy levels, variable genome size, and/or complex taxonomy, genome sizes were measured using flow cytometry directly in plants on which the flowering dates were recorded – using flow cytometry with propidium iodide dye following the protocol in Šmarda et al .…”

“…In species with multiple ploidy levels, variable genome size, and/or complex taxonomy, genome sizes were measured using flow cytometry directly in plants on which the flowering dates were recorded – using flow cytometry with propidium iodide dye following the protocol in Šmarda et al . (2019). Genome size was measured in one individual per species.…”

Assessment of the diversity of comfrey (Symphytum officinale L. and S. × uplandicum Nyman)

“…However, this approach is for many non-model species like comfrey, still not straightforward due to non-existent molecular markers. Therefore, we first developed markers based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach and then determined the relationships of different accessions by single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP), a fluorescence-based genotyping technology that evolved into a global benchmark technology (Rasheed et al 2017;Semagn et al 2014).…”

Molecular Study of Selected Taxonomically Critical Taxa of the Genus Iris L. from the Broader Alpine-Dinaric Area

“…Currently, the largest updated plant genome size database—Plant DNA C-values database contains data for 12,273 species and among them 65 C-values for 44 species of genus Iris [ 26 ]. For most species involved in our study C-values are measured in several studies [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Different methods were used for the measurement of plant DNA content, but flow cytometry has become the method of choice due to its reliability, simplicity, and relatively low cost [ 30 , 31 ].…”