The canga of the Serra dos Carajás, in Eastern Amazon, is home to a
unique open plant community, harbouring several endemic and rare
species. Although a complete flora survey has been recently published,
scarce to no genetic information is available for most plant species of
the ironstone outcrops of the Serra dos Carajás. In this scenario, DNA
barcoding appears as a fast and effective approach to assess the genetic
diversity of the Serra dos Carajás flora, considering the growing need
for robust biodiversity conservation planning in such an area with
industrial mining activities. Thus, after testing eight different DNA
barcode markers (matK, rbcL, rpoB, rpoC1, atpF-atpH, psbK-psbI,
trnH-psbA and ITS2), we chose rbcL and ITS2 as the most suitable markers
for a broad application in the regional flora. Here we describe DNA
barcodes for 1,130 specimens of 538 species, 323 genera and 115 families
of vascular plants, with a total of 344 species being barcoded for the
first time. In addition, we assessed the potential of using DNA
metabarcoding of bulk samples for surveying plant diversity in the
canga. Upon achieving the first comprehensive DNA barcoding effort
directed to a complete flora in the Brazilian Amazon, we discuss the
relevance of our results to guide future conservation measures in the
Serra dos Carajás.
Intense genomic reorganization in the genus Oecomys (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae): comparison between DNA barcoding and mapping of repetitive elements in three species of the Brazilian Amazon
