Abstract
Lauraceae species are widely represented in the Amazon, presenting a significant essential oil yield, large chemical variability, various biological applications, and high economic potential. Its taxonomic classification is difficult due to the accentuated morphological uniformity, even among taxa from a different genus. For this reason, the present work aimed to find chemical and molecular markers to discriminate Aniba species collected in the Pará State (Brazil). The chemical composition of the essential oils from Aniba canelilla, A. parviflora, A. rosaeodora, and A. terminalis were grouped by multivariate statistical analysis. The major compounds were rich in benzenoids and terpenoids such as 1-nitro-2-phenylethane (88.34–70.85%), linalool (15.2–75.3%), α-phellandrene (36.0–51.8%), and β-phellandrene (11.6–25.6%). DNA barcodes were developed using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) nuclear region, and the matK, psbA-trnH, rbcL, and ycf1 plastid regions. The markers psbA-trnH and ITS showed the best discrimination for the species, and the phylogenic analysis in the three- (rbcL + matK + trnH − psbA and rbcL + matK + ITS) and four-locus (rbcL + matK + trnH − psbA + ITS) combination formed clades with groups strongly supported by the Bayesian inference (BI) (PP:1.00) and maximum likelihood (ML) (BS ≥ 97%). Therefore, based on statistical multivariate and phylogenetic analysis, the results showed a significant correlation between volatile chemical classes and genetic characteristics of Aniba species.
Highlights
Lauraceae Juss comprises the most diverse family of woody plants, with about 50 genera and approximately 2500 to 3000 species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical latitudes [1,2,3]
The present study aimed to explore the correlation between the volatile compositions and the genetic markers in Aniba species existing in the Amazon
The specimens of Aniba parviflora (Nees) Mez, A. rosaeodora Ducke, and A. canelilla (Kunth) Mez were collected in the Campus of Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), and the Aniba terminalis Ducke was sampled in the Zoobotanical Park of Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (MPEG), both Federal Institutions located in Belém city, Pará state, Brazil
Summary
Lauraceae Juss comprises the most diverse family of woody plants (except the herbaceous parasite Cassytha), with about 50 genera and approximately 2500 to 3000 species distributed throughout tropical and subtropical latitudes [1,2,3]. The Aniba genus is a Lauraceae member that presents an economical and significant ecological value [6]. This genus has 48 accepted species with greater than 50% concentrated in the Brazilian Amazon [7,8]. The species Aniba parviflora (Meisn.) Mez, called “macacaporanga” or “louro rosa,” is confused with the real rosewood plants due to their morphological similarity. These species present very distinct aromas in wood and leaf oils because the linalool content in A. parviflora is only 40% [9,12,13]. Linalool is detected in oils from Aniba terminalis Ducke, with amounts varying from 22.1 to 36.2% in the aerial parts and inflorescences of a specimen collected in Belém (PA, Brazil) [14]
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