RESUMEN

The possibilities and strategies for using DNA characteristics to link a botanical sample to a specific source plant or location vary with its breeding system. For inbreeding species, which often form small patches of identical genotypes, knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare L.) is a suitable model species because of its (1) occurrence in a wide range of natural environments, (2) abundant presence in pieces of evidence, and (3) ease in molecular processing. The value of knotgrass for forensic casework was demonstrated using data from a homicide case. Using the DNA fingerprinting technique AFLP(®) we were able to identify the knotgrass population at the crime site as the most likely origin of the botanical evidence. We expect that the development of tailored marker systems for knotgrass and other frequently occurring (model) species will considerably accelerate the use of botanical DNA evidence in criminal cases.

Asunto(s)

Dermatoglifia del ADN/métodos , ADN de Plantas/genética , Ciencias Forenses , Polygonum/genética , Análisis del Polimorfismo de Longitud de Fragmentos Amplificados , Análisis por Conglomerados , Código de Barras del ADN Taxonómico , Variación Genética , Homicidio , Humanos , Semillas/genética

RESUMEN

The genus Rosa has a complex evolutionary history caused by several factors, often in conjunction: extensive hybridization, recent radiation, incomplete lineage sorting, and multiple events of polyploidy. We examined the applicability of AFLP markers for reconstructing (species) relationships in Rosa, using UPGMA clustering, Wagner parsimony, and Bayesian inference. All trees were well resolved, but many of the deeper branches were weakly supported. The cluster analysis showed that the rose cultivars can be separated into a European and an Oriental cluster, each being related to different wild species. The phylogenetic analyses showed that (1) two of the four subgenera (Hulthemia and Platyrhodon) do not deserve subgeneric status; (2) section Carolinae should be merged with sect. Cinnamomeae; (3) subsection Rubigineae is a monophyletic group within sect. Caninae, making sect. Caninae paraphyletic; and (4) there is little support for the distinction of the five other subsections within sect. Caninae. Comparison of the trees with morphological classifications and with previous molecular studies showed that all methods yielded reliable trees. Bayesian inference proved to be a useful alternative to parsimony analysis of AFLP data. Because of their genome-wide sampling, AFLPs are the markers of choice to reconstruct (species) relationships in evolutionary complex groups.