Recording the biodiversity conserved in protected areas is a crucial cornerstone to assess their effectiveness. Unfortunately, assessing the diversity within protected areas has been a major challenge due to the scarcity of taxonomists who can provide reliable identification.
In a study published in Integrative Conservation, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) described a pipeline to apply DNA barcoding to record the species diversity in protected areas, specifically focusing on the fern and lycophyte diversity of the Green Stone Forest Fragment that belongs to Menglun Sub-Nature Reserve of the Xishuangbanna National Forest Reserve, located in southwest China.
To demonstrate the simplicity of the core parts of the pipeline, collecting surveys and molecular lab work were carried out by an intern student from a local university. The input from experts with extensive taxonomic knowledge was restricted to several essential steps, such as assembling a reference library and quality control. A specific target of the pipeline has been the establishment of feedback mechanisms to address taxonomic challenges.
Notably, the records obtained through this approach can confirm the occurrence of previously recorded species, identify new species, and even detect gaps in our taxonomic knowledge.
In total, the study analyzed 70 accessions using the DNA barcoding protocol, resulting in the identification of 41 species previously recorded for the Menglun Sub-Nature Reserve, and nine species that were newly recorded. Among the newly recorded species, Asplenium humbertii Tardieu was documented for the first time in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
Additionally, four accessions required further study due to unresolved species identities. The DNA barcodes determined their generic relationship but did not match them with previously described species, suggesting the presence of three species potentially new to science. Two of these accessions were identified as a sister pair within the genus Hymenasplenium, while the other two were placed in the genera Asplenium and Leptochilus. Furthermore, the study provided the first DNA sequences for the local endemic C. latifalcatum.
“Our pilot study demonstrated the effectiveness of a simplified DNA barcoding approach to obtain rapid assessments of the fern and lycophyte diversity in protected areas,” said LIU Hongmei of XTBG.
Contact
LIU Hongmei Ph.D
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
E-mail: liuhongmei@xtbg.ac.cn
First published: 30 July 2024
