Speakers

Biography

I am a doctoral student at the Centre for Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat. My research focuses on the genetic diversity of legumes, particularly Retama species, as well as their microsymbionts. Through the use of molecular markers, I explore patterns of genetic diversity within this plant genus. Guided by my passion for science, I strive to advance knowledge in this crucial field of biology, contributing to scientific research and innovation.

Abstract

Retama is an important Mediterranean legume genus known for its significant ecological and medicinal importance. This study aimed to assess genetic diversity within the Retama genus species through the application of molecular markers, including ISSR, REP as well as seven potential DNA barcodes including matK, rbcL, rpoC, trnL, Pspb, ycf, and ITS to generate a reference database to authenticate and facilitate the identification of Retama genus species collected from different parts of Morocco.

ISSR and rep-PCR resulted in 48 and 18 bands respectively, of which 83.33% and 88.89% were polymorphic, with 0.70 and 0.78 polymorphic information content (PIC) values obtained with ISSR and rep respectively. The combined data revealed low variations (25%) among the Retama species, whereas high variations (75%) were obtained within the species, using the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). The sequences phylogenetic analysis of the DNA barcode region confirmed the closeness between R. monosperma and R. dasycarpa, which clustered with R. raetam; whereas R. sphaerocarpa was far from the other species.

The cluster analysis and the principal coordinate analysis assembled the different samples into three groups. They showed that R. monosperma and R. raetam are highly similar, whereas R. dasycarpa, clustered differently, although close to this first group. Retama sphaerocarpa was confirmed to be far from the three other species.

Using such simple markers will simplify the identification of Retama species and reduce the confusion between the four plant species.