Abstract Detail

Molecular Ecology and Evolution

Neubig, Kurt M. [1], Abbott, Richard [2], Majure, Lucas [3], Allen, Julie M. [4], Whitten, M. Mark [5], García, Nicolas [6], Germain-Aubrey, Charlotte [7], Soltis, Pamela S. [5], Soltis, Douglas [8].

BarFF: towards a complete set of DNA barcode data for the vascular plants of Florida.

With over 4100 species of vascular plants native or naturalized and a climatic gradient from tropical to temperate, identifying plant species in Florida is challenging due to the large number of species and variety of habitats. As a result, Florida is well suited for DNA barcoding. With DNA barcoding, each species has a unique set of DNA, of which a carefully chosen subset (a “DNA barcode”) can serve as a baseline reference for comparative identification. With DNA barcode data, distinguishing species is possible at all life stages, from seed to mature plant with very little tissue necessary for identification. We are building a core data set for the Barcoding the Flora of Florida (BarFF) project by targeting every species of vascular plant in Florida, sequencing both matK and rbcL. Currently, we have accumulated matK for over 2600 species and rbcL for over 3000 species, those data in combination representing 3109 total species. As a reference, these data have far reaching applications including basic plant identification, forensics, and metagenomics. Efficacy of these DNA barcode data in terms of discrimination of taxa (i.e., uniqueness at the species level) will be discussed based on phylogenetic metrics. Future work will focus on representing all species in Florida and more intensive sampling infraspecifically.

1 - Southern Illinois University, Plant Biology, 1125 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
2 - The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA
3 - Desert Botanical Garden, Department of Research, Conservation, and Collections, Phoenix, AZ, 85008
4 - University of Illinois, Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr. NRB, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
5 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA, 352/273-1964
6 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
7 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, Dickinson HAll, Museum Road, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
8 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, 1659 Museum Road, Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

Keywords:
DNA barcoding
Florida
floristics.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 61
Location: Salon 15/16/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2015
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: 61010
Abstract ID:747
Candidate for Awards:None