Plant DNA C-values Database

The Plant DNA C-values Database is a comprehensive catalogue of C-value (nuclear DNA content, or in diploids, genome size) data for land plants and algae. The database was created by Prof. Michael D. Bennett and Dr. Ilia J. Leitch of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. The database was originally launched as the "Angiosperm DNA C-values Database" in April 1997, essentially as an online version of collected data lists that had been published by Prof. Bennett and colleagues since the 1970s. Release 1.0 of the more inclusive Plant DNA C-values Database was launched in 2001, with subsequent releases 2.0 in January 2003 and 3.0 in December 2004. In addition to the angiosperm dataset made available in 1997, the database has been expanded taxonomically several times and now includes data from pteridophytes (since 2000), gymnosperms (since 2001), bryophytes (since 2001), and algae (since 2004) (see (1) for update history). (Note that each of these subset databases is cited individually as they may contain different sets of authors). As of September 2005, the database as a whole contains data for over 4,800 species of plants in these various taxa. A similar Animal Genome Size Database was created in 2001 by Dr. T. Ryan Gregory of the University of Guelph, Canada.

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References

Bennett, M.D. and J.B. Smith. 1976. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 274: 227-274.

Bennett, M.D. and J.B. Smith. 1991. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 334: 309-345.

Bennett, M.D. and I.J. Leitch. 1995. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms. Annals of Botany 76: 113-176.

Bennett, M.D. and I.J. Leitch. 1997. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms — 583 new estimates. Annals of Botany 80: 169-196.

Bennett, M.D., P. Bhandol, and I.J. Leitch. 2000. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms and their modern uses -- 807 new estimates. Annals of Botany 86: 859-909.

Bennett, M.D. and I.J. Leitch. 2005. Nuclear DNA amounts in angiosperms — progress, problems and prospects. Annals of Botany 95: 45-90.

Bennett, M.D. and I.J. Leitch. 2005. Genome size evolution in plants. In The Evolution of the Genome, edited by T.R. Gregory. San Diego: Elsevier. Pages 89-162.

Gregory, T.R. 2005. The C-value enigma in plants and animals: a review of parallels and an appeal for partnership. Annals of Botany 95: 133-146.

Leitch, I.J., D.E. Soltis, P.S. Soltis, and M.D. Bennett. 2005. Evolution of DNA amounts across land plants (Embryophyta). Annals of Botany 95: 207-217.

Murray, B.G. 1998. Nuclear DNA Amounts in Gymnosperms. Annals of Botany 82 (Suppl. A): 3-15.