Genome evolution in pocket gophers (genus Thomomys). II. Variation in cellular DNA content.
Cellular DNA content (2 C-value) was measured by fluorescence flow cytometry of chromomycin-A3 stained spleen cells in 2 subgenera, 5 species, and 21 subspecies of pocket gophers (genus Thomomys). The data indicate that, in Thomomys: (1) interspecific variation is extensive but, while some congeneric species differ by as much as 230%, others are identical in C-value: (2) intraspecific differentiation can be extensive with C-values differing by as much as 35%; and (3) populations of the same subspecies with apparently similar karyotypes can differ significantly in C-value. The implications of these results for hypotheses of the "adaptive" significance of C-value variation and genome evolution are discussed.
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005796:Genes; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D012377:Rodentia / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
D004247:DNA