Primeras medidas del tamaño del genoma en Carduncellusy los géneros afines Femeniasia y Phonus (Asteraceae, Cardueae), con datos para 21 táxones

Genome size of 18 species of the genus Carduncellus, two species of the related genus Phonus and the monotypic genus Femeniasia (F. balearica) has been assessed by flow cytometry for the first time. Ploidy levels were assigned using genome size data together with previously reported chromosome counts. A phylogenetic framework was built to visualize how cytogenetic traits distributed across taxa. The results confirmed three ploidy levels (2x, 4x and 6x), with a predominance of diploids. The 2C values ranged from 3.24 pg in Carduncellus calvus to 11.16 pg in C. eriocephalus, whereas monoploid genome size (1Cx) ranged from 1.29 pg in C. duvauxii (4x) to 2.30 pg in Phonus rhiphaeus (2x). The mean 1Cx for tetraploids was lower than for diploids. For each ploidy level, genome size values of Carduncellus, Femeniasia and Phonus were found to be higher than those of Carthamus. This result is consistent with a trend frequently observed in plants, of higher genome sizes in long life cycle taxa compared to short-lived relatives.