Relieving efforts in palm‐tree tissue sampling for population genetics analyses

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 11; no. 12; pp. 7946 - 7950
• Main Author: Espinoza‐Ulloa, Sebastian A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.06.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Acids; Cell division; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA methods; Genetic testing; Genetics; Leaves; Nucleic acids; Original Research; palm‐tree; Plant species; Plant tissues; Population genetics; Population sampling; Population studies; root tissue; Sampling; sampling methods; Trees; root tissue; population genetics; sampling methods; DNA methods; palm‐tree
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7624

The young leaves are the main source of nucleic acids for population genetic studies in palm‐trees; however, the access to this tissue may be limited by specific features of each species. Using root tissues as an alternative source of nucleic acids could facilitate the sampling in large populations. This study tests root tissue viability as an alternative nucleic acid source (root versus. leaf) and explores different protocols (tissue storage and DNA extraction methods) to obtain high‐quality DNA samples. The results showed no significant differences in DNA concentration (603.7 vs. 599.1 ng/μl) and quality ratios (A260/280:2.1 vs. 1.9, and A260/230:2.1 vs. 2.0) for the comparisons of tissue source (leaf vs. root) and DNA extraction method (manual vs. kit). For tissue storage method, DNA concentration was significantly higher for root tissues stored in 70% and 90% alcohol solutions (692.8 and 822.6 ng/μl, respectively) versus those obtained from leaf tissue (603.7 ng/μl); however, for the quality parameters, no differences were found. Results showed the effective potential of using root tissue as an alternative source for nucleic acids, which could facilitate population sampling of palm‐tree species for future studies, and this methodological alternative could be applied to other plant systems with similar sampling challenges. ​ This study tests root tissue viability as an alternative nucleic acid source (root vs. leaf) and explores different protocols (tissue storage and DNA purification methods) to obtain high‐quality DNA samples. Results showed the effective potential of using root tissue as an alternative source, which could facilitate populations sampling of palm‐tree species. ​