Molecular phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy position of 161 Camellia species in China

Zhen PANG ； Yi-Ling WANG ； Nitin MANTRI ； Yang WANG ； Xue-Jun HUA ； Yan-Ping QUAN ； Xuan ZHOU ； Zheng-Dong JIANG ； Zhe-Chen QI ； Hong-Fei LU

《TAIWANIA》 67卷4期 (2022/12) Pp. 560-570+s1

https://doi.org/10.6165/tai.2022.67.560

摘要

Camellia is the largest and most important genus in the family Theaceae, with many species being of great economic, ornamental and ecological value. However, the phylogenetic resolution of these species has been difficult due to interspecific hybridization and polyploidy. Consequently, the interspecies relationships of the genus Camellia are still hotly debated. In this study, four chloroplast genomic regions (matK, rbcL, ycf1, trnL-F) were used as markers among 161 species representing all four subgenera within this genus to investigate the phylogeny and interspecies relationship of the genus Camellia. The results showed that the 161 species of the genus Camellia could be grouped into 13 clades (A-M). Clades A and B mainly consisted of sect. Camellia. Clades C and I were made up of sect. Theopsis and sect. Eriandria. Clades D and J were composed of species from sect. Thea. Clade F consisted of the sect. Paracamellia species, whilst Clades G and M included sect. Furfuracea species. Clade H contained sect. Tuberculata and most species of sect. Pseudocamellia, whereas Clades K and L comprised the sect. Chrysantha species. These results supported that 161 Camellia species form paraphyletic groups, rather than a monophyletic group. And they demonstrated that the taxonomic position of related species could be resolved to some extent via sequencing markers in organelle genome, thus providing valuable cytoplasmic genetic information or maternal genetic information for accurately identifying species, clarifying taxonomy and reconstructing the phylogeny of various Camellia species.

關鍵字

Camellia ； chloroplast gene ； matK ； molecular phylogeny ； rbcL ； section ； taxonomy position ； trnL-F ； ycf1

參考文獻

Badr, A., N. El-Sherif, S. Aly, S.D. Ibrahim and M. Ibrahim 2020. Genetic diversity among selected Medicago sativa cultivars using inter-retrotransposon-amplified polymorphism, chloroplast DNA barcodes and morpho-agronomic trait analyses. Plants-Basel 9(8): 995.

Cabrera, C., R. Artacho and R. Giménez 2006. Beneficial effects of green tea - a review. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 25(2): 79‒99.

Chen, H.L., S.L. Liu, Q.Q. Ye, Y.B. Lu and S.Q. Tang 2021. Inferring species relationships among Camellia chrysanthoides and its closely related species for developing conservation strategies. Plant Spec. Biol. 36(3): 390‒398.

Chen, L., Z.X. Zhou and Y.J. Yang 2007. Genetic improvement and breeding of tea plant (Camellia sinensis) in China: from individual selection to hybridization and molecular breeding. Euphytica 154(1-2): 239‒248.

Chung, M.Y., B.K. Epperson and M.G. Chung 2003. Genetic structure of age classes in Camellia japonica (Theaceae). Evolution 57(1): 62‒73.