Miniature genomes and endopolyploidy in cladoceran crustaceans

Abstract

The haploid genome sizes (0.37 and 0.47 pg) of two members of the cladoceran crustacean genus Daphnia rank among the smallest known for Crustacea. An examination of cladoceran somatic tissues by scanning microdensitometry revealed abundant endopolyploidy in both species. Although cells in the labrum possessed the highest DNA content (1024C), endopolyploid cells (4–512C) were widely distributed throughout the body. Daphnia pulex and D. magna exhibited similar ploidy levels in most tissues, but differences between the two species were noted in the epidermis and labrum. The prevalence of polyploid nuclei suggests that endopolyploidy is an important process in organisms whose genomes have been miniaturized by nucleotypic selection.Key words: somatic polyploidy, genome size, Daphnia, ploidy shifts, macroevolution.