Evolution of genome size and chromosome numbers in Genlisea

Some species of the carnivorous plant genus Genlisea (Lentibulariaceae) possess ultrasmall nuclear genomes. Fleischmann et al. measure nuclear genome sizes from cultivated plant material for a comprehensive taxon sampling that includes nearly half of all species, and perform chromosome counts for the majority of these taxa. They find a high degree of congruence between genome size distribution and the major phylogenetic lineages. Ultrasmall genomes with 1C-values of less than 100 Mbp are almost exclusively found in a derived lineage of South American species, and they determine the smallest plant genomes known to date in G. tuberosa (1C = approx. 61 Mbp) and some strains of G. aurea (1C = approx. 64 Mbp).