Generation Time and Divergence Rates in Plants
Author Information
Author(s): Soria-Hernanz David F, Fiz-Palacios Omar, Braverman John M, Hamilton Matthew B
Primary Institution: Georgetown University
Hypothesis
Differences in generation time between annual and perennial plants affect their rates of molecular evolution.
Conclusion
Annual plants often show faster substitution rates than perennial plants, but the differences are generally small.
Supporting Evidence
- Annual plants exhibited faster rates of nucleotide substitution in most comparisons.
- Rate differences were often less than 2-fold, suggesting a weak generation time effect.
- Simulations indicated that relative rate tests have low power to detect small rate differences.
Takeaway
This study looked at how fast different plants change their DNA based on whether they live for one year or many years. It found that plants that live for one year usually change their DNA faster.
Methodology
The study compared nucleotide substitution rates using ITS sequences from 16 phylogenetically-independent annual/perennial species pairs.
Potential Biases
Potential phylogenetic bias due to the use of non-independent comparisons in previous studies.
Limitations
The study's conclusions may be limited by the low statistical power of the tests used, particularly for small rate differences.
Participant Demographics
The study included 16 species pairs of annual and perennial angiosperms.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.017 for A. thaliana vs. A. lyrata; p=0.025 for A. thaliana vs. A. petraea
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website