Abstract
DNA barcoding involves sequencing a standard region of DNA as a tool for species identification. However, there has been no agreement on which region(s) should be used for barcoding land plants. To provide a community recommendation on a standard plant barcode, we have compared the performance of 7 leading candidate plastid DNA regions (atpF-atpH spacer, matK gene, rbcL gene, rpoB gene, rpoC1 gene, psbK-psbI spacer, and trnH-psbA spacer). Based on assessments of recoverability, sequence quality, and levels of species discrimination, we recommend the 2-locus combination of rbcL+matK as the plant barcode. This core 2-locus barcode will provide a universal framework for the routine use of DNA sequence data to identify specimens and contribute toward the discovery of overlooked species of land plants.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 12794-12797 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| Volume | 106 |
| Issue number | 31 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 Aug 2009 |
Keywords
- Species identification
- matK
- rbcL
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Multidisciplinary