DNA barcoding of Mangroves using Ribosomal ITS Marker in Rhizophoraceae

DNA barcode is a very short, standardized DNA sequence in a well-known gene. It provides a way to identify the species to which a plant, animal or fungus it belongs. One of the most popular sequences identification is achieved by comparing DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal cistron. DNA barcoding is a new concept of identifying unknown organisms based on species DNA regions. The nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer region is widely used as a DNA bacoding marker to characterize the diversity and composition of plant groups. The ITS region has been heavily used in both molecular methods and ecological studies, due to its high degree of interspecific variability, conserved primer sites and multiple copy nature in the genome. Primers have long been available for the nuclear ITS (Internal transcribed spacer) rDNA region which are now commonly used for plant identification.