Intergeneric and Interspecific Relationships in Araceae tribe Caladieae and Development of Molecular Markers using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP)

Abstract

Since amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis has proved useful in distinguishing cultivars of Caladium, it was used to assess the status of species of Caladium vs. Xanthosoma, both in tribe the Caladieae, and to reassess the position of Hapaline in the same tribe. AFLP analysis using three primer combinations was carried out on four species of Caladium(C. bicolor, C. humboldtii, C. lindenii and C. schomburgkii). Results showed that AFLP can distinguish between the different species by their unique and different banding patterns. AFLP analysis confirmed that C. humboldtii is a species distinct from C. bicolor and that C. lindenii is a true Caladium species and does not belong to Xanthosoma. UPGMA cluster analysis showed that C. bicolor and C. schomburgkii are most similar and that C. humboldtii is closer to the C. bicolor / C. schomburgkii cluster compared with C. lindenii. Genetic relationships between Caladium, Xanthosoma, Hapaline, Alocasia and Protarum were also examined by AFLP analysis using eight primer combinations. Several useful molecular markers were specific either to Caladium orXanthosoma , so that AFLP can be used to distinguish species of these two genera. Genetic analysis of the genera examined confirms that the Caladieae and Colocasieae tribes are distinct and that Hapaline falls within the tribe Caladieae and that Protarum is most distant from all the genera examined.