Using internal transcribed spacers 2 (ITS2) to identify seaweed species from Tomini Bay and Banten Bay

Abstract

Samples collected from two coastal areas by diving and using a boat. The fresh seaweed morphologically identified while the dried samples collected to be used for DNA testing. Previous research has been shown that there is an influence from environmental parameters on seaweed composition so that the water quality testing was carried out to determine the dominance of wild seaweed water. We conducted genomes extraction, PCR amplification, DNA sequencing testing, alignment with MEGA 7 application and made phylogeny tree, which are distributed at Tomini bay Dictyota sp., Halimeda sp., Padina sp., Polysiphonia sp., and Banten bay as Sargassum sp. This study evaluated the feasibility of using the ITS2 marker to identify some wild seaweed species, from Tomini Bay and Banten Bay waters. Five wild seaweed species collected from these waters were submitted for DNA barcoding. Currently available universal primers for ITS2 region amplification were sufficient to be successfully amplified and the result of DNA amplification continue to be sequenced. In conclusion, the data presented here indicates that ITS2 are useful markers for DNA barcoding of wild seaweed, with advantage for ITS2 due to the larger availability of analytical tools and reference barcodes deposited at databases for this marker.