Molecular Identification and Phylogenetic Relationship of Some Plant Species In Ashdagh Mountain, Sangaw, Kurdistan Of Iraq

Abstract

Phylogenetic and molecular perspective of plant identification can reveal the plant composition of areas. Many new species have been identified based on morphological characters in different area of Kurdistan, but few have been identified through DNA barcoding method. In this study, Internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) were used to identify some species in Ashdagh Mountain. The identified taxa were belonged to different families and clades and not recorded in any studies. The nucleotide sequences of identified species were 98-100% identical with species in the genebank database. The phylogenetic analysis showed diversity in phylogenetic relationships among coexisting species. In addition, the existing of Chara sp. in the acidic stream of Awa spi is a new record and not observed before. The finding of this study show the importance of using molecular and phylogenetic technique to identify and understand phylogenetic relationship among coexisting species because Kurdistan is a hot spot and need more emphasis. In addition, new species occurrence data has been added to flora of Kurdistan.