DNA barcoding of western North American taxa: Leymus (Poaceae) and Lepidium (Brassicaceae)

Abstract

My objective was to determine if polymorphic information from the 18S-5.8S-26S nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer regions and the trnK-psbA, trnK-rps16 chloroplast DNA spacer regions is sufficient 1) to identify a plant specimen to the species level, and 2) to establish the phylogenetic relationship between species. The first study examined the relationship of various North American as well as European and Asian species of perennial, Leymus wildrye grasses (Poaceae). Three North American Leymus taxa, including L. flavescens, L. innovatus, and L. mollis, displayed unique haplotypes in both chloroplast DNA and internal transcribed spacer sequences. However, this specific set of DNA barcodes was insufficient to unambiguously identify individual plants in L. cinereus and L. triticoides, the foremost taxa in the sample set.

Citation

Culumber, Catherine Mae. 2007. DNA barcoding of western North American taxa: Leymus (Poaceae) and Lepidium (Brassicaceae). Logan, UT: Utah State University. 100 p. Thesis.