Phylogenic Study of Twelve Species of Phyllanthus Originated from India through Molecular Markers for Conservation

Abstract

The objective of the study was to characterize the germplasm for identification and phylogeny study for conservation. Identification and characterization of germplasm is an important link between the conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources. The present investigation was undertaken to draw the phylogenetic relationship between twelve spe- cies from India belonging to genus Phyllanthus with the help of molecular markers. In total, 259 marker loci were as- sessed, out of which 249 were polymorphic revealing 96.13% polymorphism. Nei’s similarity index varies from 0.23 to 0.76 for RAPD and 0.26 to 0.81 for ISSR marker systems. Cluster analysis by unweighted pair group method (UPGMA) of Dice coefficient of similarity generated dendogram with more or less similar topology for both the analysis that gave a better reflection of diversity and affinities between the species. The phylogenetic tree obtained from both RAPD and ISSR marker has divided the 12 species in two groups: group I consisting of only one species Phyllanthus angustifolius and the group II with the rest 11 species. This molecular result is comparable to notable morphological characteristics. The present study revealed the distant variation within the species of Phyllanthus. This investigation will help for iden- tification and conservation of Phyllanthus species.