DNA barcoding as a tool for early warning and monitoring alien duckweeds (Lemna sp.pl.): the case of Central Italy

MARCONI, Gianpiero, Flavia LANDUCCI, Daniele ROSELLINI, Robert VENANZONI and Emidio ALBERTINI. DNA barcoding as a tool for early warning and monitoring alien duckweeds (Lemna sp.pl.): the case of Central Italy. Plant Biosystems. Italy: Taylor and Francis Ltd, 2019, vol. 153, No 5, p. 660-668. ISSN 1126-3504. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2018.1536087.

Basic information

• Original name: DNA barcoding as a tool for early warning and monitoring alien duckweeds (Lemna sp.pl.): the case of Central Italy
• Authors: MARCONI, Gianpiero (380 Italy), Flavia LANDUCCI (380 Italy, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Daniele ROSELLINI (380 Italy), Robert VENANZONI (380 Italy) and Emidio ALBERTINI (380 Italy).
• Edition: Plant Biosystems, Italy, Taylor and Francis Ltd, 2019, 1126-3504.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 10611 Plant sciences, botany
• Country of publisher: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 1.787
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14310/19:00113236
• Organization unit: Faculty of Science
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2018.1536087
• UT WoS: 000476897700004
• Keywords in English: Chloroplast genome; DNA sequence analysis; exotic species; invasive plants; molecular phylogeny
• Tags: rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Aquatic habitats are vulnerable to the invasion of alien species, so early warning protocols are necessary for eradication. The presence in Italy of two alien duckweeds in freshwaters has been documented: Lemna minuta, that showed high invasivity, and L. valdiviana, still confined to south Lazio. These two species may be mistaken for each other and for the domestic L. minor and L. gibba due to morphological variation. Here, we assess the applicability of DNA barcoding as a complement to morphological analysis for monitoring the spread of alien Lemna. We chose two chloroplast genome sequences for their ability to discriminate all Lemna species: the 5' intron of the trnK gene and the matK gene. Among 48 samples of Lemna collected at 20 sites in Central Italy, 20 were identified as L. minor, 19 as L. minuta, five as L. trisulca and four as L. gibba. L. minuta was present at most sampling sites; in particular, at six locations of Lake Trasimeno, eight L. minuta samples were found. We demonstrate that DNA sequence analyses with cost-effective barcoding techniques can effectively support expert efforts in species determination for an early alert system of invasive Lemna species.