Preliminary insights into the molecular barcoding data of Turraea socotrana (Meliaceae) from Socotra (Yemen)
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SOCOTRA BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND NATURE CONSERVATION
Preliminary insights into the molecular barcoding data of Turraea socotrana (Meliaceae) from Socotra (Yemen) Antonio Giovino1 · Sergio Saia1,2 · Francesco M. Raimondo3 · Luigi Guiglia3 · Gianniantonio Domina4 Received: 15 October 2019 / Accepted: 28 July 2020 © Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei 2020
Abstract The relationship of two geographically and ecologically separated populations of Turraea socotrana Styles and F. White (Meliaceae), a vulnerable and scattered shrub from the island of Socotra (Yemen), was explored using preliminary molecular data. The nuclear ribosomal ITS region was used to screen the level of genetic divergence of T. socotrana from ecologically distant localities in comparison to a few other species of Turraea and closely related genera. The individuals from the inland (Diksam) differed from the western coastal ones (Ma’alah) by vegetative characters and by the rbcL gene. This may be due to the fact that the population from Ma’alah grows on lithosoil slopes directly exposed to moist winds coming from the sea, whereas the population of Diksam occurs on arid cliffs overlooking the inland of the island. The ITS sequences grouped the studied populations from Socotra together and separated them from other species of Turraea that are morphologically similar and occurring in East Africa. Considering the differences recorded in the rbcL gene, we suggest that the populations of T. socotrana investigated here on only a few specimens from two different areas on the island, deserve more research. Our preliminary study potentially indicates that there may be independent evolutionary significant units in this species, however, more research including a wider sampling and comparison to other taxa is needed. Keywords Plant biodiversity · Conservation · Endemism · Turraea · Soqotra
1 Introduction
Antonio Giovino and Sergio Saia are co-first authors. This paper belongs to a Topical Collection “Twenty years of biodiversity research and nature conservation in the Socotra Archipelago” edited by Fabio Attorre and Kay Van Damme, conceived at the 18th Friends of Socotra Conference, 26–29 September, 2019, Orto Botanico di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
The genus Turraea L. (Meliaceae) includes about 80 species in the Old World tropics, most of which occur in Africa and Madagascar (Hassan and Cheek 1999). This genus comprises shrubs or small trees with alternate, simple and usually entire leaves and actinomorphic, anatropous or hemianatropous flowers in a paniculate inflorescence usually with bud scales (Muellner et al. 2003). The genus contains
* Gianniantonio Domina [email protected] Antonio Giovino [email protected] Sergio Saia [email protected] Francesco M. Raimondo [email protected] Luigi Guiglia [email protected] 1
(CREA-DC), S.S. 113 Km 245,500, 90011 Bagheria (PA), Italy 2
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops (CREA-CI), S.S. 11 per To
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