DNA fingerprinting based on SSR amplification profiles for Piper species identification (Piperaceae)

Jheniffer Abeldt Christ,Renan Köpp Hollunder,Marina Santos Carvalho,Marcia Flores Da Silva Ferreira,Mário Luís Garbin,Tatiana Tavares Carrijo

doi:10.1590/0102-33062017abb0268

Abstract

ABSTRACT DNA fingerprinting based on SSR amplification profiles was applied to native species of Piper from the Atlantic Forest to compare the utility of this type of molecular marker with the morphological characters traditionally applied in Piper taxonomy and identification. Fifty-one SSR markers developed for four species of Piper native to Asia and Mesoamerica were applied to 16 species, together with 63 morphological characters, for species characterization. Molecular and morphological data were analysed by cluster analysis, followed by a cluster sharpness test and the construction of a heat map to visualize the association of characters with species groups. A multivariate regression tree determined the number of loci needed for species identification. Forty-five primers were transferable to at least four species. Molecular data were more efficient in detecting sharp groups than morphological data. Species groups delimited by a set of shared morphological characters were differentiated based on molecular data. The sixteen studied species could be separated by nine primers, demonstrating the cross-species transferability of SSR markers and the usefulness of DNA fingerprinting for both the delimitation and the identification of species of Piper.

Highlights

Plant species identification may be a challenging task when dealing with highly species-rich families and genera in the Neotropics such as Piper, the most representative genus of the Angiosperm family Piperaceae
DNA fingerprinting based on SSR amplification profiles was applied to native species of Piper from the Atlantic Forest to compare the utility of this type of molecular marker with the morphological characters traditionally applied in Piper taxonomy and identification
Molecular and morphological data were analysed by cluster analysis, followed by a cluster sharpness test and the construction of a heat map to visualize the association of characters with species groups

Summary

Introduction

Plant species identification may be a challenging task when dealing with highly species-rich families and genera in the Neotropics such as Piper, the most representative genus of the Angiosperm family Piperaceae. The morphological characters traditionally used for taxonomic purposes within the genus Piper are observable in the flowers, which are very small, as well as in the leaves, which are variable in shape and size (Jaramillo & Manos 2001). Other informative morphological characters for species identification, such as fruit shape, depend on samples being obtained during this particular phenological period, or are questionable because of their variability as observed in leaf venation and floral bracts (see Yuncker 1972; Carvalho-Silva et al 2015). SSR (Simple Sequence Repeats, or microsatellites) markers are available for some species of Piper of economic interest and importance for the food industry, such as P. nigrum, or of ecological interest, such as P. polysyphonum, P. cordulatum and P. solmsianum

Methods

Results

Conclusion