Phenetic study of endemic and widespread <i>Kniphofia</i> species in Ethiopia using <i>trnl</i> (uaa) 3'-<i>trnf</i> (gaa) intergenic spacer of chloroplast DNA

Abstract

The phenetic relationship of four endemic and two widespread Kniphofia species in Ethiopia was studied using sequence data of trnL (UAA) 3'-trnF (GAA) intergenic spacer of chloroplast DNA. The species were Kniphofia foliosa Hochst., K. hildebrandtii Cufod., K. insignis Rendle, K. isoetifolia Hochst., K. pumila (Ait.) Kunth, and K. schimperi Baker. The length of trnL-trnF intergenic spacer sequences were from 355 base pairs in K. foliosa ("fol-10"), K. isoetifolia, and K. hildebrandtii to 360 base pairs in K. foliosa ("fol-13"), K. insignis and K. schimperi. The mean base frequency across the taxa was 0.33(A), 0.38(T), 0.14(G), and 0.15(C). The trnL (UAA) 3'-trnF (GAA) intergenic spacer sequences of the six species were remarkably similar except for five positions: one length mutation of 5 bp (indels) and four substitutions (transversions). The mutations were about 1% of the aligned sequences. The Tamura and Nei pair wise genetic distance calculated among the species was from 0.0 to 0.009 and with a mean of 0.005 0.003. It indicated over 99% similarity and very low differentiation of the trnL (UAA) 3'-trnF (GAA) intergenic spacer of the chloroplast DNA among the species. The intergenic spacer appeared to be highly conserved in the endemic and widespread Kniphofia species in Ethiopia.

Keywords/phrases: Chloroplast; Endemic; Ethiopia; Kniphofia; trnL- trnF

Ethiop. J. Biol. Sci., 9(1): 1-10, 2010