How does genome size constrain maximum metabolism?

Since writing our first genome size paper, we realized (1) there were many ideas in the paper that were not sufficiently discussed and (2) there were other implications of the paper that were worth discussing more. A special issue on the Evolution of Plant Functional Traits seemed to be a perfect venue for these ideas. With the latitude to both explain these ideas in more depth and present new implications that may not yet have data, we discussed how genome size affects cell size and metabolism, and what the ecological and evolutionary implications of these relationships may be.

Co-authors on this paper include three high school students and three undergraduates who have pushed my thinking and collected a lot of the new data extending these ideas as part of our Rules of Life grant from NSF.

The paper is now available online at the International Journal of Plant Sciences.

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Adam B. Roddy
Associate Research Scientist

My research interests include plant physiology and evolution, with an emphasis on the factors that constrain and promote phenotypic diversity.

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