Evaluating the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) as a candidate dinoflagellate barcode marker.

ABSTRACT:

Background

DNA barcoding offers an efficient way to determine species identification and to measure biodiversity. For dinoflagellates, an ancient alveolate group of about 2000 described extant species, DNA barcoding studies have revealed large amounts of unrecognized species diversity, most of which is not represented in culture collections. To date, two mitochondrial gene markers, Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) and Cytochrome b oxidase (COB), have been used to assess DNA barcoding in dinoflagellates, and both failed to amplify all taxa and suffered from low resolution. Nevertheless, both genes yielded many examples of morphospecies showing cryptic speciation and morphologically distinct named species being genetically similar, highlighting the need for a common marker. For example, a

SUBMITTER: Stern RF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3420951 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature