DNA barcoding insect-host plant associations.

ABSTRACT: Short-sequence fragments ('DNA barcodes') used widely for plant identification and inventorying remain to be applied to complex biological problems. Host-herbivore interactions are fundamental to coevolutionary relationships of a large proportion of species on the Earth, but their study is frequently hampered by limited or unreliable host records. Here we demonstrate that DNA barcodes can greatly improve this situation as they (i) provide a secure identification of host plant species and (ii) establish the authenticity of the trophic association. Host plants of leaf beetles (subfamily Chrysomelinae) from Australia were identified using the chloroplast trnL(UAA) intron as barcodes amplified from beetle DNA extracts. Sequence similarity and phylogenetic analyses provided precise identificati

SUBMITTER: Jurado-Rivera JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2660938 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature