Abstract
The genetic resources and biological diversity of countries are very important. Biodiversity and genetic resources should be protected, especially as endemic species. In this concept, DNA barcoding studies are an effective way to identify an unknown taxon and protected the biodiversity of a country. Astragalus argaeus and A. stenosemioides are narrow endemic species from Mt. Erciyes, Turkey. To determine its phylogenetic relationships and DNA barcoding, sequence data from the chloroplast DNA (matK region) were analyzed by parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods. In this study, A. argaeus, A. stenosemioides samples, and 23 sequences from GenBank, including a closely related species were performed. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the matK gene region could clearly distinguish A. argaeus and A. stenosemioides from its closely related species. DNA barcoding surveys can contribute to taxonomic and biodiversity research, various molecular ecology, and population genetics studies. Also, it is possible to determine the species by separating the matK DNA gene region, which is one of the molecular characters, and A. argaeus and A. stenosemioides have been successfully barcoded for the first time; therefore, it has been shown that this gene region can be used for barcoding.
A Review of Recent Phytomedicinal Investigations and the Need for DNA Barcoding of Endemic Plants of Northern Cyprus
