Genome Size Is a Strong Predictor of Root Meristem Growth Rate
Article comments
Copyright © 2010 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. The definitive version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/390414.
Abstract
Variation in genome size (GS) has been linked to several facets of the plant phenotype. Recently it was shown that GS is significantly correlated with cell size and the duration of the cell cycle. Here we test the hypothesis that GS might also be a predictor of apical root meristem growth rate (RMGR). We studied eight species of eudicots with varying GS using time-lapse microscopic image analysis. A significant negative exponential relationship was observed between GS and RMGR. Our results show significantly decreased RMGR for large genome species. This relationship represents a significant consequence of GS expansion in plants and may partly explain why genome sizes tend to be small in eudicots. Interestingly, parasitic plants, which do not rely on root growth as much, often have large genomes.
Suggested Citation
Adam Gruner, Nathan Hoverter, Tylia Smith, and Charles A. Knight. "Genome Size Is a Strong Predictor of Root Meristem Growth Rate" Journal of Botany 2010 (2010).
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/knight/21