Species delimitation in plants using the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau endemic Orinus (Poaceae: Tridentinae) as an example.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Accurate identification of species is essential for the majority of biological studies. However, defining species objectively and consistently remains a challenge, especially for plants distributed in remote regions where there is often a lack of sufficient previous specimens. In this study, multiple approaches and lines of evidence were used to determine species boundaries for plants occurring in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, using the genus Orinus (Poaceae) as a model system for an integrative approach to delimiting species.

Methods

A total of 786 individuals from 102 populations of six previously recognized species were collected for niche, morphological and genetic analyses. Three plastid DNA regions (matK, rbcL and trnH-psbA) and one nuclear DNA region

SUBMITTER: Su X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4479750 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature