Comparative Analyses of <i>Acacia</i> Plastomes to Detect Mutational Hotspots and Barcode Sites for the Identification of Important Timber Species

oleh: Weixiong Li, Yongyao Li, Luke R. Tembrock, Zhiqiang Wu, Xuezhu Liao, Shuo Zhang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-02-01

Deskripsi

The genus <i>Acacia</i> is a crucial source of industrial papermaking and timber, possessing significant economic value. Due to their nitrogen-fixing ability, rapid growth, and high tolerance to stress, <i>Acacia</i> species have become integral to short-term industrial timber forests, particularly in southern China and various other regions worldwide. Nevertheless, comparative genomic analyses of <i>Acacia</i> species remain limited, impeding the development of molecular markers for identifying and distinguishing between distinct <i>Acacia</i> species as well as distinguishing their wood counterparts from other tree species. To address this gap, we generated plastomic sequences from eight species commonly cultivated in Chinese plantation forests and compared them with existing data. Our findings revealed a generally conserved structure and gene content within the plastid genomes of <i>Acacia</i>. Notably, the dN/dS ratio of genes from distinct functional groups varied, particularly between ribosomal proteins and photosynthesis genes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses and sequence comparisons suggest that the introduction of <i>Acacia</i> to China may have been less diverse than previously thought or that interspecies introgression has occurred more frequently than previously documented. This study offers a valuable starting point for future research in this area and for improving timber quality through marker-assisted breeding.