Evolutionary and ecological significance of genome sizes in the copepod genus Pseudocalanus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Feulgen microspectrophotometry revealed wide variation within and among six species of Pseudocalanus in estimated amounts of DNA in diploid somatic nuclei of adults. Because of similar numbers of nuclei within stages across species, body sizes and temperature-corrected development times of embryos and older stages were positively correlated with these genome sizes, with adaptive consequences for life-history and production characteristics. The six genome sizes among Pseudocalanus, together with those of seven species of Calanus, form a highly significantly nonrandom series of ca. 4, 8, 13, 17, 21, and 25 pg DNA/nucleus, not attributable to polyploidy. This pattern could reflect abrupt and perhaps sympatric speciation.
Keywords