EVOLUTIONARY PATTERNS OF GENOME SIZE AND CHROMOSOME NUMBER VARIATION IN BEGONIACEAE

Authors

  • L. Campos-Domínguez Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, Scotland, UK./ Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Rutherford Building, University of Edinburgh, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK./ Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Ashworth Laboratories, University of Edinburgh, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, UK. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8998-3394
  • J. Pellicer Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England, UK./Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB, CSIC – Ajuntament de Barcelona), Passeig del Migdia s.n., 08038 Barcelona, Spain. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7632-9775
  • A. Matthews Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Rutherford Building, University of Edinburgh, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK./ Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, England, UK. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0271-9636
  • I.J. Leitch Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England, UK. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3837-8186
  • C.A. Kidner Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, Scotland, UK./ Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Rutherford Building, University of Edinburgh, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, Scotland, UK./ Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Ashworth Laboratories, University of Edinburgh, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, UK. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6426-3000

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24823/ejb.2022.1876

Keywords:

Begonia, chromosomes, evolution, C-values

Abstract

Cytological data resources are crucial to the study and understanding of the evolution of complex taxa. Recent research on the genus Begonia L. has provided a robust phylogenetic background for the analysis of evolutionary patterns across the group and has established that Begonia is variable in genome size and chromosome number. This paper provides an overview of the genome structural variation present in Begonia and an updated chromosome number and genome size dataset for the genus. Chromosome numbers of more than 400 species are presented and discussed within their current taxonomic and phylogenetic context. A more complete chromosome number dataset is available for Neotropical and Asian Begonia sections than for those from Africa. The distribution of chromosome numbers across phylogenetic trees supports the idea of Begonia sections as natural groups, because most variation is found between sections rather than within them. Some larger Begonia clades were found to have larger  chromosome number variation. Moreover, groups with the most variable chromosome numbers belong to some of the taxonomically complex or unresolved Begonia sections. Genome size variation was found not to correlate with changes in chromosome number. It suggests that Begonia genome dynamics are caused not only by large-scale duplications, rearrangements, and changes in ploidy levels but also by changes in the repetitive fraction of the genome, which probably cause changes in chromosome size. This could potentially play an important role in species radiations.

A graph ogf table two in the paper

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Published

2022-08-18

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles