Taxonomic relationships in East AsianVicia species with unijugate leaves based on random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Abstract

Random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) markers were investigated to clarify the taxonomic positions ofVicia linearifolia andV. bifolia, and to assess the genomic diversity among the 9 populations ofV. unijuga, each of which represents a geographical variation or infraspecific taxa in southern Korea. These species are characterized by unijugate leaves in East Asia and have been controversial as to infra-or interspecific classification. The polymorphic markers among the populations examined were observed for fifteen decamer primers. The degree of band sharing was used to calculate genetic similarity between populations, and a phenogram using UPGMA cluster analysis was generated based on the Dice similarity coefficient. The taxa studied were divided into two main groups and the populations ofV. unijuga were all grouped together in the phenogram. The genetic similarities ofV. unijuga were very high among the populations and did not show distinctions between the infraspecific taxa, although the populations of Mt. Odae and adjacent areas in eastern Korea were different from others of the species.V. linearifolia fell within the range of the genomic variation among the populations ofV. unijuga, whileV. bifolia was grouped withV. venosa var.cuspidata having multijugate leaves rather thanV. unijuga. The result from studying RAPD markers suggested thatV. linearifolia should be integrated intoV. unijuga and that species with unijugate leaves ofV. bifolia andV. unijuga are polyphyletic.