Genome size evolution in tropical tribe Globba (Zingiberaceae)

The variability of the genome size reaches several grades even within relatively close groups of plants. The study of the genome size in the phylogenetic context provides interesting results which characterize the evolution of the individual groups of plants. In this respect, tropical plants have yet not been studied. Tropical genus Globba (ca. 100 species) belongs to an economically significant family Zingiberaceae. The diversity centre is found in Thailand but it spreads from east India and southern China up to Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a polyploid complex which exists in two cytotypes within one genus (2n = 32 a 2n = 48); it is characteristic minimally in three out of seven distinguished sections. The aim of this thesis has been a reconstruction of the group phylogeny, discovering the role of the polyploid and evaluation of the genome size evolution of the Globba genus in the phylogenetic context. To this end, modern biosystematic methods were used (flow cytometry, chromosome counting, sequencing of the nuclear and chloroplast DNA regions). Many types of software and statistical methods were used to process and interpret the data. In this group, the genome size was measured for the first time. Out of 87 individuals, the smallest size was measured with Globba nuda (2C = 1.11 pg). The..