Abstract
Lauraceae are an important component of tropical and subtropical forests and have major ecological and economic significance. Owing to lack of clear-cut morphological differences between genera and species, this family is an ideal case for testing the efficacy of DNA barcoding in the identification and discrimination of species and genera. In this study, we evaluated five widely recommended plant DNA barcode loci matK, rbcL, trnH–psbA, ITS2 and the entire ITS region for 409 individuals representing 133 species, 12 genera from China. We tested the ability of DNA barcoding to distinguish species and as an alternative tool for correcting species misidentification. We also used the rbcL+matK+trnH–psbA+ITS loci to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the species examined. Among the gene regions and their combinations, ITS was the most efficient for identifying species (57.5%) and genera (70%). DNA barcoding also had a positive role for correcting species misidentification (10.8%). Furthermore, based on the results of the phylogenetic analyses, Chinese Lauraceae species formed three supported monophyletic clades, with the Cryptocarya group strongly supported (PP = 1.00, BS = 100%) and the clade including the Persea group, Laureae and Cinnamomum also receiving strong support (PP = 1.00, BS = 98%), whereas the Caryodaphnopsis–Neocinnamomum received only moderate support (PP = 1.00 and BS = 85%). This study indicates that molecular barcoding can assist in screening difficult to identify families like Lauraceae, detecting errors of species identification, as well as helping to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships. DNA barcoding can thus help with large-scale biodiversity inventories and rare species conservation by improving accuracy, as well as reducing time and costs associated with species identification.
Highlights
Lauraceae in China comprise about 25 widely distributed genera with 445 species (316 endemic, three introduced) [1, 2]
Because it is important to know whether economic benefit estimates are stable over time [11], the accurate identification of species is important for their protection
Materials for this study were collected in the field from 2002 to 2012, with 22 species represented by a single individual and 111 species represented by two to nine individuals
Summary
Lauraceae in China comprise about 25 widely distributed genera (two endemic, two introduced) with 445 species (316 endemic, three introduced) [1, 2]. The fruits of some species contain abundant oil and fat [1]. Because of their biological and economic relevance, some plants have been overexploitated [10], with 109 species listed as endangered by the China Species Red List [10]. As most species are tall trees with small, inconspicuous flowers that are not easy to locate or collect in the field [3], generic delimitation within the family is problematic [17,18,19,20], as many trees are sterile when sampled (expecially during biodiversity inventories) and must be identified using vegetative characters [21], making misidentifications inevitable [22]. Scant information is available regarding accurate classification and biodiversity assessment within this family, in south-east Asia, so complementary methods of identification and classification are urgently needed for Lauraceae
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