title: Efficient Identification of the Forest Tree Species in Aceraceae Using DNA Barcodes.
abstract: Aceraceae is a large forest tree family that comprises many economically and ecologically important species. However, because interspecific and/or intraspecific morphological variations result from frequent interspecific hybridization and introgression, it is challenging for non-taxonomists to accurately recognize and identify the tree species in Aceraceae based on a traditional approach. DNA barcoding is a powerful tool that has been proposed to accurately distinguish between species. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of three core standard markers (matK,rbcL andITS) plus the chloroplast locustrnS-trnG as Aceraceae barcodes. A total of 231 sequences representing 85 species in this forest family were collected. Of these four barcode markers, the discrimination power was highest for theITS(I) region (50%) and was progressively reduced in the other three chloroplast barcodesmatK (M),trnS-trnG (T) andrbcL (R); the discrimination efficiency of theITSmarker was also greater than any two-locus combination of chloroplast barcodes. However, the combinations ofITSplus single or combined chloroplast barcodes could improve species resolution significantly; T+I (90.5% resolution) and R+M+T+I (90.5% resolution) differentiated the highest portion of species in Aceraceae. Our current results show that the nuclearITSfragment represents a more promising DNA barcode marker than the maternally inherited chloroplast barcodes. The most efficient and economical method to identify tree species in Aceraceae among single or combined DNA barcodes is the combination of T+I (90.5% resolution).
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Anyang, China.
authors.forename: Xiong-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Zhan-Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Gui-Fang
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Hu
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Aceraceae; ITS; barcoding markers; chloroplast DNA; species identification