| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section Whitlock, Barbara A. [1], Hale, Amanda M. [2], Groff, Paul A. [1]. Intraspecific inversions pose a challenge for the trnH-psbA plant DNA barcode. The chloroplast trnH-psbA spacer region has been proposed as a prime candidate for use in DNA barcoding of plants because of its high substitution rate. However, frequent inversions associated with palindromic sequences within this region have been found in multiple lineages of Angiosperms and may complicate its use as a barcode, especially if they occur within species. Here, we evaluate the effects of intraspecific inversions in the trnH-psbA region on DNA barcoding efforts. We report polymorphic inversions within six species of Gentianaceae, all narrowly circumscribed morphologically: Gentiana algida, Gentiana fremontii, Gentianopsis crinita, Gentianopsis thermalis, Gentianopsis macrantha and Frasera speciosa. We analyze these sequences together with those from 15 other species of Gentianaceae and show that naïve alignments can lead to misassignment of conspecifics and incorrect assessment of relationships. Frequent inversions in the trnH-psbA region, if not recognized and aligned appropriately, may lead to large overestimates of the number of substitution events separating closely related lineages and to uniting more distantly related taxa that share the same form of the inversion. For all these reasons, the trnH-psbA spacer region will need careful attention if used as a marker for DNA barcoding. Broader Impacts:
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1 - University of Miami, Department of Biology, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA
2 - Texas Christian University, Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Worth, TX, 76129, USA
Keywords:
DNA barcoding
Gentianaceae
trnH-psbA
inversions
hairpins.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 38
Location: 555A/Convention Center
Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Time: 4:00 PM
Number: 38012
Abstract ID:645 |
