Plant DNA C-Values Database
Chromosomes of Arabidopsis thaliana (A, 1C = 157 Megabases, Mb) and Fritillaria assyriaca (B, 1C = 62,000 Mb) both at the same magnification reflect a c. 400-fold difference in genome size.
The Plant DNA C-values database (www.kew.org/genomesize) provides a one-stop user friendly electronic database where DNA C-values (genome size) for plant species can be readily accessed and compared. It represents the product of RBG Kew’s continued commitment to make this key biodiversity character widely and easily available to the scientific community.
The database was launched in 2001 by combining the Angiosperm and Pteridophyte DNA C-values databases and adding data for gymnosperms and bryophytes – in total it contained C-values for 3,493 species. Since its launch it has been updated three times adding a total of 1,657 new values. In 2004, C-values for algae were made available through the addition of the Algal DNA C-values database. The most recent release (release 4.0, October 2005) contains genome size data for 5,150 species comprising 4,427 angiosperms, 207 gymnosperms, 87 monilophytes and lycopods, 176 bryophytes and 253 algal species.
The database is widely used. Since its launch the database has received over 100,000 hits from over 60 countries, and usage has been increasing. The number of hits received per day has doubled from c. 45 hits per day in 2002, to c. 90 in 2005. Further, large data sets have been downloaded for broad scale comparative studies across a diverse range of biological disciplines including evolution, ecology, plant physiology, conservation and environmental studies.
As the database is compiled from published and unpublished sources, updating the database is an ongoing project necessitating the location and entry of new data when it becomes available. Further updates are planned on a regular basis.
Project Team
Project Leader: Leitch, Ilia
ISD
John Wall
Jodrell Laboratory
Mike Bennett, Mike Fay, Ilia Leitch
Project Partners and Collaborators
Austria
Institute of Botany, University of Vienna
New Zealand
University of Auckland
USA
University of North Carolina