Applicazione del metodo DNA Barcoding allo studio della biodiversità in una zona umida del Centro Italia
Author(s)
Saenz de Buruaga Aldave, Laura
Date Issued
March 11, 2011
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
DNA barcoding is a technique in which species identification is performed using universal DNA
sequences from a small fragment of the genome (Lahaye et al. 2007). Biodiversity
characterization/conservation would be one of the main benefits of the widespread application of
barcoding, in terms of speed, low cost, reliability, and improved resolution power. In combination
with scuba diving, it could become a useful complement for ecological and taxonomical assessments
of aquatic vegetation. Here, this method was tested for the first time on plants inhabiting a wetland
area. Our objective was to provide a test for future in situ application of DNA Barcodes by
evaluating the efficacy of species discrimination under the criteria of methods and natural cooccurrence
of the species in the ecosystem. After collecting and identifying ca. 40 specimens, DNA
Barcoding was performed using the three most efficient markers (trnH-psbA, rbclA, rpoC1)
proposed by the Consortium for the Barcode Of Life (CBOL). Investigated plants were collected in
the WWF protected wetland area “Lago di Alviano” which covers around 900 hectares of
ecosystems important for migratory birds as well as many other animals and plants. Among the
studied species, many are typically present in natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or
Hydrocharition-type vegetation in Europe. Two of them are floating on the water, five are
submerged, thirteen emerged or living very close to water and five sampled species are trees closely
related to water habitats. Nine species are also widely used for phytoremediation. Finally, we
preformed DNA Barcoding of Amorpha fructicosa, an invasive plant nowadays becoming a serious
problem in European wetlands.
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze e tecnologie per la gestione forestale e ambientale
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