title: Lifestyle and DNA base composition in polychaetes.
abstract: A comparative analysis of polychaete species, classified as motile and low-motile forms, highlighted that the former were characterized not only by a higher metabolic rate (MR), but also by a higher genomic GC content. The fluctuation of both variables was not affected by the phylogenetic relationship of the species. Thus, present results further support that a very active lifestyle affects MR and GC at the same time, showing an unexpected similarity between invertebrates and vertebrates. In teleosts, indeed, a similar pattern has been also observed in comparisons of migratory and nonmigratory species. A cause-effect link between MR and GC has not yet been proved, but the fact that the two variables are significantly linked in all the organisms so far analyzed is, most probably, of relevant biological and evolutionary meaning. The present results fit very well within the frame of the metabolic rate hypothesis proposed to explain the DNA base composition variability among organisms. On the contrary, the thermostability hypothesis was not supported. At present, no data about the recombination rate in polychaetes were available to test the biased gene conversion (BGC hypothesis).
authors.affiliation: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Naples, Italy; and andrea.tarallo010@gmail.com andrea.tarallo@szn.it.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarallo
authors.affiliation: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (Villa Dohrn-Benthic Ecology Center), Ischia, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gambi
authors.affiliation: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Naples, Italy; and.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Onofrio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001481:Basal Metabolism / Q000235:genetics; D001482:Base Composition / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005785:Gene Conversion / Q000235:genetics; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D008019:Life Style; D010802:Phylogeny; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: BGC; GC%; metabolic rate; motility; teleosts