Meléndez González, Mariana T.

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    Taxonomic treatment and molecular analyses of the small-leaved species of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) from Toliara, Madagascar
    (2019-11-13) Meléndez González, Mariana T.; van Ee, Benjamin; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Puente Rolón, Alberto R.; Flores Mangual, Mario L.; Department of Biology; Ruiz, Teodoro
    Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, product of geological events during the Coniacian period (88Mya) and has been isolated since then. This isolation has contributed to its great biodiversity, resulting in the island harboring approximately 12,000 plant species, including over 150 species of Croton (Euphorbiaceae), the genus of interest in the present study. Croton is a giant and complex genus with a worldwide distribution, and species of it are commonly found in tropical and subtropical secondary vegetation. Species in the genus have distinctive taxonomic characters, such as their indumenta and acropetiolar glands. Chemically species of the genus are rich in secondary metabolites enhancing its importance in the medicinal and biofuel field. In Madagascar there are more than 150 species distributed along the island, and at least 53 are present in the province of Toliara, the area of interest of this study. Small-leaved species are the main focus of interest, thereby reducing the number of species to be evaluated from 53 to 27 in total. In order to evaluate the possibility of identifying Croton species as operational taxonomic units (OTU) a DNA barcoding using sequences of the nuclear ITS region for multiple accessions of the species was asset, recognizing 15 species (C. adabolavensis, C. elaeagni, C. sp. nov. aff. bojerianus, C. androiensis, C. ustulatus, C. manampetsae, C. decaryi, C. miarensis, C. aubrevilecta, C. menarandrae, C. geayi, C. elliotianus, C. boiteaui, C. cotoneaster and C. antanosiensis) of the 27 in total as OTUs. Comparison between the phylogenies using nuclear ITS and plastid (trnL–F, psbA–trnH, and matK) regions were employed to further understand the species relationships and their circumscription. Incongruences between the nuclear and chloroplast phylogenies suggest possible hybridization events. A taxonomic treatment for the 27 small-leaved species was elaborated using the size, color, shape and types of trichomes in the indumenta of the leaf, and acropetiolar glands as the main characters to differentiate between species. The development of a taxonomic treatment with species of other provinces and larger leaf sizes is suggested for future taxonomic studies.