Investigating hybridization and variability between Ficus species in Saudi Arabia through DNA barcoding approach and morphological characters

Abstract

Recently, research interest has spread through the DNA barcoding for economically important species of plants. In this work, the morphological characterization and DNA barcoding were investigated to discriminate between Ficus carica, Ficus cordata and Ficuspalmata inhabiting Taif highlands to show the possibility of hybridization between them. F. carica L. (cultivated tree) and F. palmata Forssk. (wild tree) showed great morphological similarities that reflected a probable interspecific hybridization between them. The observed hybrids were of low commercial importance. The obtained results of DNA barcodes (ITS, matK, rbcL and trnH) exposed different evolutionary events between the four regions, allowing each other to complement the discrimination between Ficusspecies. The phylogenetic trees revealed excess genetic diversity and distinguished Ficus species inhabiting Taif from other species retrieved from the GenBank proving their endemism to flora of Saudi Arabia. Transition/transversion bias (R) and rate of Tajima evolution for rbcL, trnH-psbA and ITS showed that the rate of evolution of Ficus species relatively accelerates and enhances hybridization between them. Entomorphology seemed to play an important role in hybridization and causing notable genetic diversity between F. carica and F. palmata in Taif. ITS was suggested as a plant barcode for its discriminatory power at low taxonomic levels than plastid barcodes.

Biochemical and Molecular Markers Differentiate Ficus Species from Four Locations in Saudi Arabia

“…In the second cluster that agreed with that found with SDS and isozyme analysis, F. carica recorded high genetic similarity with F. palmata (1.0). These results agree with those of Ahmed & Fadl (2019) who used matK, ITS markers to separate F. palmata and F. carica, collected from the Taif highlands (Saudi Arabia), together in one group and F. cordata subsp. Salicifolia in a separate group; however, the rbcL marker placed the three species in one group and the trnH-psbA marker separated F. carica alone.…”

DNA Barcoding of Prunus Species Collection Conserved in the National Gene Bank of Egypt

“…After an extensive inventory of gene regions in the mitochondrial, plastid, and nuclear genomes of plants, four primary gene regions (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA, and ITS) have generally been agreed upon as the standard DNA barcodes of choice in most applications for plants [6][7][8][9]. Recently, research interest has spread through the DNA barcoding for economically important species of plants [10].…”