Interspecific genetic analysis of orchids in Brazil using molecular markers

• Published in: Plant systematics and evolution 2014-10, Vol.300 (8), p.1825-1832
• Main Authors: Fajardo, Cristiane Gouvêa, de Almeida Vieira, Fábio, Molina, Wagner Franco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Biological taxonomies; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brassavola; Cattleya; Differentiation; Divergence; DNA; Endangered plants; Endangered species; Genetic analysis; Genetic diversity; Genetic loci; Genetic markers; Genetic variation; Habitat conservation; Indigenous species; Interspecific; issues and policy; Life Sciences; loci; Markers; microsatellite repeats; Original Article; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Ecology; Plant protection; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Plants; Population genetics; Primers; principal component analysis; Principal components analysis; Simple sequence repeats; variance; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 0378-2697; 1615-6110; 2199-6881
• DOI: 10.1007/s00606-014-1009-9

Several species of Orchidaceae, one of the largest plant families, are considered endangered throughout South America and legal protection policies are needed so they can be preserved. Inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) markers are a potential tool to be used in the phylogenetic reconstruction of closely related species. In this study, we evaluate the polymorphic information content (PIC) and optimum number of ISSR markers (ONM) for five Laeliinae orchids in order to assess genetic diversity. The phylogenetic relationships between Cattleya granulosa, an endangered Brazilian orchid, and four other native Brazilian species (Brassavola tuberculata, Cattleya bicolor, Cattleya labiata and Cattleya schofieldiana) were analyzed for genetic diversity and differentiation. The 11 selected primers generated 166 unambiguous loci (PIC = 0.354; ONM = 156). Of the five studied species, C. bicolor exhibited the highest level of genetic diversity (H E = 0.219), while C. labiata exhibited the lowest level (H E = 0.132). The percentage of genetic variation among species (analysis of molecular variance) was 23.26 %. The principal component analysis (PCA) of ISSR data showed that unifoliate and bifoliolate species are genetically divergent. Additionally, PCA indicated a close relation between C. granulosa and C. schofieldiana, a species considered to be a variety of C. granulosa by many researchers. Thus, we conclude that ISSR genetic markers are effective in detecting genetic differentiation among orchid species.