Does variation in genome sizes reflect adaptive or neutral processes? New clues from Passiflora.

One of the long-standing paradoxes in genomic evolution is the observation that much of the genome is composed of repetitive DNA which has been typically regarded as superfluous to the function of the genome in generating phenotypes. In this work, we used comparative phylogenetic approaches to investigate if the variations in genome sizes (GS) should be considered as adaptive or neutral processes by the comparison between GS and flower diameters (FD) of 50 Passiflora species, more specifically, within its two most species-rich subgenera, Passiflora and Decaloba. For this, we have constructed a phylogenetic tree of these species, estimated GS and FD of them, inferred the tempo and mode of evolution of these traits and their correlations, using both current and phylogenetically independent contrasted values.

Diversification of plant species in a subtropical region of eastern South American highlands: a phylogeographic perspective on native Petunia (Solanaceae).

In the Southern and Southeastern Brazilian highlands, a clade of seven species of Petunia that are endemic to the region (P. altiplana, P. bonjardinensis, P.