Phylogenetic studies of liverworts from the genus Pellia using a new type of a molecular marker

Abstract

In order to analyse taxonomically liverworts from the genus Pellia a new type of molecular marker was applied using two kinds of primers. The first one is a typical RAPD primer whereas the second one is a universal primer whose nucleotide sequence is based on a consensus sequence common to all tRNA molecules. Using these markers phenetic and phylogenetic trees were constructed for all the species of the genus Pellia, using the liver-wort species Aneura pinguisas the outgroup. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the allopolyploidal species P. borealis, which originated as a result of the hybridization of two parent species: P. epiphylla-species S and P. epiphylla-species N, is more closely related to P. epiphylla-species N. This is because both: mitochondria and chloroplasts in P. borealis are from P. epiphylla-species N.