DNA barcoding the native flowering plants and conifers of Wales.
We present the first national DNA barcode resource that covers the native flowering plants and conifers for the nation of Wales (1143 species). Using the plant DNA barcode markers rbcL and matK, we have assembled 97.7% coverage for rbcL, 90.2% for matK, and a dual-locus barcode for 89.7% of the native Welsh flora. We have sampled multiple individuals for each species, resulting in 3304 rbcL and 2419 matK sequences. The majority of our samples (85%) are from DNA extracted from herbarium specimens. Recoverability of DNA barcodes is lower using herbarium specimens, compared to freshly collected material, mostly due to lower amplification success, but this is balanced by the increased efficiency of sampling species that have already been collected, identified, and verified by taxonomic experts. The effectiveness of the DNA barcodes for identification (level of discrimination) is assessed using four approaches: the presence of a barcode gap (using pairwise and multiple alignments), formation of monophyletic groups using Neighbour-Joining trees, and sequence similarity in BLASTn searches. These approaches yield similar results, providing relative discrimination levels of 69.4 to 74.9% of all species and 98.6 to 99.8% of genera using both markers. Species discrimination can be further improved using spatially explicit sampling. Mean species discrimination using barcode gap analysis (with a multiple alignment) is 81.6% within 10×10 km squares and 93.3% for 2×2 km squares. Our database of DNA barcodes for Welsh native flowering plants and conifers represents the most complete coverage of any national flora, and offers a valuable platform for a wide range of applications that require accurate species identification.
National Botanic Garden of Wales, Llanarthne, United Kingdom. natasha.devere@gardenofwales.org.uk
Natasha
N
de Vere
Tim C G
TC
Rich
Col R
CR
Ford
Sarah A
SA
Trinder
Charlotte
C
Long
Chris W
CW
Moore
Danielle
D
Satterthwaite
Helena
H
Davies
Joel
J
Allainguillaume
Sandra
S
Ronca
Tatiana
T
Tatarinova
Hannah
H
Garbett
Kevin
K
Walker
Mike J
MJ
Wilkinson
D001483:Base Sequence; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods*; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D003710:Demography; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D064028:Tracheophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D014852:Wales
C101625:RbcL protein, plastid; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase