Journal
GENOME
Volume 60, Issue 4, Pages 285-292Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/gen-2016-0166
Keywords
C-value; Feulgen densitometry; Plethodon serratus; Plethodontidae
Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- National Science Foundation [DEB 1405665, DEB 1146033]
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1405665] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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The genus Plethodon is the most species-rich salamander genus in North America, and nearly half of its species face an uncertain future. It is also one of the most diverse families in terms of genome sizes, which range from 1C = 18.2 to 69.3 pg, or 5-20 times larger than the human genome. Large genome size in salamanders results in part from accumulation of transposable elements and is associated with various developmental and physiological traits. However, genome sizes have been reported for only 25% of the species of Plethodon ( 14 of 55). We collected genome size data for Plethodon serratus to supplement an ongoing phylogeographic study, reconstructed the evolutionary history of genome size in Plethodontidae, and inferred probable genome sizes for the 41 species missing empirical data. Results revealed multiple genome size changes in Plethodon: genomes of western Plethodon increased, whereas genomes of eastern Plethodon decreased, followed by additional decreases or subsequent increases. The estimated genome size of P. serratus was 21 pg. New understanding of variation in genome size evolution, along with genome size inferences for previously unstudied taxa, provide a foundation for future studies on the biology of plethodontid salamanders.
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