A DNA barcode for land plants

James Edward Richardson

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch Articlepeer-review

2184 Scopus citations

Abstract

DNA barcoding involves sequencing a standard region of DNA as a tool for species identification. However, there has been no agreement on which region(s) should be used for barcoding land plants. To provide a community recommendation on a standard plant barcode, we have compared the performance of 7 leading candidate plastid DNA regions (atpF-atpH spacer, matK gene, rbcL gene, rpoB gene, rpoC1 gene, psbK-psbI spacer, and trnH-psbA spacer). Based on assessments of recoverability, sequence quality, and levels of species discrimination, we recommend the 2-locus combination of rbcL+matK as the plant barcode. This core 2-locus barcode will provide a universal framework for the routine use of DNA sequence data to identify specimens and contribute toward the discovery of overlooked species of land plants.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)12794-12797
Number of pages4
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume106
Issue number31
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 4 2009
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

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