Can plant DNA barcoding be implemented in species-rich tropical regions? A perspective from Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Author(s):Show less -

Ferreira de Lima, Renato A. ^[1] ; de Oliveira, Alexandre Adalardo ^[1] ; Dalla Colletta, Gabriel ^{[2, 3]} ; Flores, Thiago Bevilacqua ^{[2, 3]} ; Gayoso Coelho, Rubens L. ^[4] ; Dias, Pedro ^[4] ; Frey, Gabriel Ponzoni ^[1] ; Iribar, Amaia ^[5] ; Rodrigues, Ricardo Ribeiro ^[3] ; Souza, Vinicius Castro ^[3] ; Chave, Jerome ^[5]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, IB, Dept Ecol, Rua Matao, Trav 14, 321 Cidade Univ, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Vegetal, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, ESALQ, Dept Ciencias Biol, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Artes Ciencias & Humanidades, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Paul Sabatier, UMR CNRS 5174, Lab Evolut & Diversite Biol, Toulouse - France

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; v. 41, n. 3, p. 661-670, JUL-SEP 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

DNA barcoding helps to identify species, especially when identification is based on parts of organisms or life stages such as seeds, pollen, wood, roots or juveniles. However, the implementation of this approach strongly depends on the existence of complete reference libraries of DNA sequences. If such a library is incomplete, DNA-based identification will be inefficient. Here, we assess if DNA barcoding can already be implemented in species-rich tropical regions. We focus on the tree flora of Sao Paulo state, Brazil, which contains more than 2000 tree species. Using new DNA sequence data and carefully assembled GenBank accessions, we assembled 12,113 sequences from ten different regions. The ITS, rbcL, psbA-trnH, matK and tmL regions were better represented within the available sequences for Sao Paulo tree flora. Currently, only 58% of the Sao Paulo tree flora currently have at least one barcoding sequence available. However, these species represent on average 89% of the trees in Sao Paulo state forests. Therefore, conservation-oriented and ecological studies can already benefit from DNA barcoding to obtain more accurate species identifications. We present which taxa remain underrepresented for the Sao Paulo tree flora and discuss the implications of this result for other species-rich tropical regions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/22923-8 - Utilization of molecular markers sequences for identifying tree species in the São Paulo State
• Grantee: Vinicius Castro Souza
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/00682-0 - Linking tree community structure to species traits and phylogenetic structure
• Grantee: Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 99/09635-0 - Diversity, dynamics and conservation in São Paulo State Forests: 40ha of permanent parcels
• Grantee: Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants