B-chrom: a database on B-chromosomes of plants, animals and fungi

8 p., gráficos, 1 tabla -- Contiene material suplementario -- Versión publicada online -- La base de datos B-chrom, a la que hace referencia el artículo, se puede consultar en: http://www.bchrom.csic.es/ -- Permiso de la editorial a los autores del artículo: "You may post an electronic version of the published Article on your own personal website, on your employer’s website/repository and on free public servers in your subject area. Electronic versions of the published Article must include a link to Wiley InterScience together with the following text: ‘The definitive version is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1469-8137’"

We present here B-chrom (www.bchrom.csic.es), an online database with comprehensive information on B chromosomes (Bs) for plants, animals and fungi. Data have been extracted from 3041 sources published between 1907 and July 2016. There are 5760 entries corresponding to 2828 species. Besides presence, number or range of B chromosomes, the database provides information on chromosome number, ploidy level and genome size when available. After an extensive publication search strategy and data mining, the content of the database has been analysed statistically and significant positive correlations, though faint, have been found between the average number of Bs, chromosome number and ploidy level. Some of the species with the highest number of Bs in plants reproduce asexually, which may be related to an accumulation of these selfish genomic elements. Despite the increased interest in B chromosome research in the recent years (20% of the data in B-chrom was published in the last decade) there is still poor knowledge with respect to global biodiversity. The database is the first step to systematize information on Bs and we expect that it will be used by scientists interested in cytogenetics for data-mining or comparative studies involving B chromosomes.

The Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica from the Government of Spain (CGL2016-75694-P), the Czech Science Foundation (P506/16/02149J) and the Government of Catalonia (“Ajuts a grups de recerca consolidats”, 2014SGR514) are acknowledged for funding. Sònia Garcia benefits from a “Ramón y Cajal” contract from the Government of Spain (RYC-2014-16608).

Peer reviewed