Genome size correlates with growth form, habitat and phylogeny in the Andean genus Lasiocephalus (Asteraceae)
2010
Abstract
The variation in genome size in samples of diploid Lasiocephalus was strongly correlated with several environmental and life history traits (altitude, habitat and growth form). However, all these factors, as well as genome size itself, were correlated with phylogeny (main split into the so-called \\\'forest\\\' and \\\'paramo\\\' clades), which most probably represents the true cause of the differentiation in intrageneric genome size.
In contrast, relationships between genome size and phylogeny were not apparent at lower divergence levels. Instead, here we suggest that ecological conditions have played a role in driving shifts in genome size between closely related species inhabiting different environments.