DNA barcoding on subsets of three families in Aves.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies carried out with DNA barcoding, based on regional groups, have shown that a standard mitochondrial gene could be used to identify birds. In the present study, we present an additional DNA barcoding survey of birds, using taxonomic groups instead of regional groups to verify the effectiveness of DNA barcoding on distinguishing species and to test whether the intraspecific clusters of species are associated with geographical discontinuities.


METHODS
Taxonomic groups of three avian families--Phasianidae, Accipitridae, and Strigidae--were included in the study. The cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences of 49 individuals were determined. Together with 122 sequences from previous studies, a total of 171 sequences from 66 bird species were analyzed.


CONCLUSIONS
Results showed that all 66 species investigated had unique COI sequences and no sequences were shared between the species. Our results were congruent with previous studies suggesting that the COI barcode permits distinguishing most of the closely related species. Furthermore, by using geographically distinct clusters, diagnostic characters, and threshold levels, deep genetic splits (>1.5%) were observed in three species, and we therefore suggest treating them as evolutionary significant units.
Cai
Yansen
Y
Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China.
Yue
Bisong
B
Jiang
Wanxiang
W
Xie
Shiqi
S
Li
Jing
J
Zhou
Ming
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001717:Birds / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
D017931:DNA Primers; D004247:DNA