The perspectives for DNA barcoding of Rhaponticum carthamoides (Willd.) Iljin using rbcL gene sequence

The methods of biological species identification using nucleotide sequences of short genome regions (DNA barcoding) are actively developed. The universal DNA barcode for plants remains to be discovered, and one of the leading candidates is the plastid gene of the large subunit of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene (rbcL). In our study, we estimated the part of rbcL gene as a possible marker for molecular identification of Rhaponticum carthamoides (Willd.) Iljin. Due to its officinal properties, the species is susceptible to uncontrolled and illegal harvesting from natural populations. Today, the species needs to be protected and therefore is included into the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation and certain regions. The study was carried out using plants from the natural populations sampled from the Khamar-Daban Ridge (South Siberia) and considering now as Rh. carthamoides var. chamarense (Peschkova) O S Zhirova. It was shown that rbcL gene can be used to identify Rh. carthamoides at least from the populations of the Khamar-Daban Ridge using a fragment of the maximum length or its 3’ region. Apparently, the 5’ region of the gene (rbcLa) most often used as DNA barcode for plants may be of lesser importance for Rh. carthamoides. The rbcL gene sequences can be also used for the development of approaches for Rh. carthamoides identification in the medicinal preparations and products containing dried tissues to prevent their falsification and illegal harvesting of this species. The combination of rbcL gene with additional markers seems to be highly desirable to create effective DNA barcodes for Rhaponticum species.

Conservation and sustainable utilization of tropical trees from North Sumatra, Indonesia

Tree species have received more attention recently due to its contribution and prospective utilization. Although provided many function for human and ecosystem, the existence of trees also threatened due to illegal harvesting and forest conversion. Sustainable utlization approaches were needed for increasing the value and willingness of the community to engage in conservation activities. Although many tropical tree species, especially in North Sumatra, have been exploited, there are still few reports of sustainable approaches to those species. In this study, the assessment of several local tree species in North Sumatra was approached with five conditions adopted from previous research, those were :1) sustainable harvesting, (2) no threat interaction, (3) effective commercialization, (4) economic benefits to farmers, and 5) utilization of financial proceeds to promote conservation initiatives. The results of the study illustrate that although these four criteria are fulfilled, the forest product trade often does not provide sufficient financial benefits to protect forests from other threats. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the interaction between threats for sustainable use and conservation, by using a precise conceptual model. The financial benefits of sustainable use must be adequate to support conservation efforts that can overcome various threats to tree species conservation.

KERAGAMAN GENETIK KIMA KECIL (Tridacna maxima) DI PULAU KUR, PULAU BIAK, DAN MANADO SERTA IMPLIKASINYA UNTUK KONSERVASI

Kima merupakan jenis kerang yang secara ekologis penting pada ekosistem terumbu karang. Biota laut ini mengalami tekanan antropogenik hampir di sebagian besar wilayah Indonesia. Meskipun status spesies kima ini dilindungi berdasarkan Peraturan Pemerintah (PP) No. 7 tahun 1999, namun aktivitas pengambilan ilegal kima di alam masih terjadi. Hal ini tidak hanya menyebabkan penurunan jumlah jenis dan kelimpahan individu, tetapi dapat mengurangi keragaman genetik jenis kima tersebut. Oleh karena itu perlu dilakukan penelitian keragaman genetik Tridacna maxima berdasarkan marka genetik COI dari Pulau Kur, Pulau Biak dan Manado. Penelitian menggunakan 15 sampel dari Pulau Kur (Penelitian ini), kemudian dibandingkan dengan data genbank (11 sampel dari Biak dan 8 sampel dari Manado). Analisis sekuens DNA mitokondria (mtDNa) T. maxima menghasilkan 432 pasang basa. Terdapat 23 haplotipe dengan jumlah situs bervariasi sebanyak 59 situs. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa keragaman genetik populasi T. maxima termasuk sangat tinggi, yaitu 0,95. Jarak genetik antar populasi, berkisar antara 0,009 (Kur-Manado) sampai 0,051 (Biak-Manado). Hasil analisis pohon filogenetik menunjukkan dua kluster utama, yaitu kluster Kur, Biak, dan Manado, dan kluster Biak. Hasil analis Fst berpasangan menunjukkan perbedaan struktur genetik yang signifikan pada populasi T. maxima di Kur dengan Biak (Fst = 0,558; p = 0,000) dan Manado dengan Biak (Fst = 0,427; p = 0,012), sedangkan populasi Kur dan Manado tidak menunjukkan perbedaan genetik yang signifikan (Fst = 0,087; p = 0,064). Upaya Konservasi pada populasi T. maxima di Pulau Kur dapat dilakukan melalui penerapan konservasi sumber daya alam dalam bentuk kearifan lokal berupa sasi yang diperkuat dengan pembentukan kawasan konservasi laut daerah (KKLD) di lokasi penelitian. sedangkan untuk populasi Manado dan biak adalah penetapan wilayah konservasi. Selain itu, upaya pengawasan dan penegakan hukum terhadap aktifitas perburuan liar perlu ditingkatkan agar upaya konservasi tersebut dapat berhasil sehingga populasi kima tetap lestari. Giant clams are ecologically important bivalves in coral reefs. These marine organisms have been under anthropogenic pressures in almost all part of Indonesia. Even though this species is protected under Government Regulation (PP) No. 7, 1999, but the illegal harvesting is still happened. This not only caused the declining the number of individual and species, but also could lead to a decrease the genetic diversity of this species. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research on the genetic diversity of Tridacna maxima based on COI genetic markers from Kur Island, Biak Island and Manado. The study used 15 samples T. maxima from Kur Islan (This study) then compared with genbank data (11 samples from Biak and 8 samples from Manado). Sequence analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA T. maxima resulted 432 base pairs, which contained 23 haplotypes with total numbers of 59 polymorphic sites. The results show that genetic diversity of the T. maxima population was very high (0.95). The genetic distance between populations in this study ranged from the lowest (0,009) for Kur vs Manado to the highest (0,043) for Biak vs Manado. The filogenetic tree showed that there were two main clades, i.e. 1) T. maxima calde of Kur, Biak, and Manado and 2) T. maxima clade of Biak. The pairwise method analysis (FST) showed a significant genetic structure in the population of T. maxima in Kur with Biak (Fst = 0.558; p = 0.000) and Manado with Biak (Fst = 0.427; p = 0.012), whereas there was relatively no significant differentiation within population in Kur and Manado (Fst = 0.087; p = 0.064). The conservation effort for T. maxima population in Kur island is prioritized by implementing the local wisdom called Sasi with strengthened by the formation of regional marine conservation area on research sites.

Using Crime Script Analysis to Understand the Illegal Harvesting of Live Corals: Case Studies From Indonesia and Fiji

Imported to adorn tanks of marine aquarium hobbyists, the trade in live corals poses a significant risk to species that concurrently face threats from rising global temperatures, pollution, and destructive fishing practices. To better understand the live coral trade, we employed a crime script framework to analyze the process by which corals are harvested in two of the world’s major exporting countries—Indonesia and Fiji. We demonstrate that coral harvesting and export are complex activities that require a specific set of skills and tools. As such, various intervention strategies are proposed to address illegal coral harvesting at different stages of the crime script.