dc.description.abstract | Plant species can be identified based on their morphological characteristics and
molecular properties. Molecular identification utilizes specific regions in the plant
genome, followed by comparison against reference databases. The flora in the
Amboseli ecosystem has only been characterized based on its morphology, and no
genetic data exists in the public databases. The general objective of this research
was to identify the plants consumed by yellow baboons (Papio cycnocephalus) in
Amboseli, Kenya, based on morphological and molecular analyses.
Eighty plants (40 monocotyledons and 40 dicotyledons) were collected from
Amboseli Baboon Research Project’s study site in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya,
in three periods, namely June 2016, January 2018 and May/June 2018. Twentythree
plants whose scientific names were uncertain were deposited at the University
of Nairobi herbarium. DNA was extracted from all the samples using Qiagen’s
DNeasy Plant Mini Kit, followed by the amplification of five barcoding genes,
namely: ITS1, ITS1-Poaceae, the trnL (UAA) intron, trnL-P6, and the 18S
ribosomal DNA locus. The amplicons were sequenced using the Sanger sequencing
method then analysed using BLAST and phylogenetic approaches to determine the
consensus identities.
The amplification success rate of all the extracted DNA was generally higher in
monocotyledons (93.06%) than in dicotyledons (87.67%). With regards to the
candidate markers, the ITS1 locus had the highest amplification success rate (100%)
followed by the trnL (UAA) intron (95%), ITS1-Poaceae (90%), the 18S rDNA
locus (82.05%), and lastly, trnL-P6 (80.49%). Two-hundred and eighty-nine
amplicons were sent for sequencing at Macrogen Netherlands (Europe), and highquality
sequences were generated for 182 samples. Generally, more plants were
identified at both the genus and species levels using GenBank® than in the BOLD
database. Furthermore, more monocotyledons were identified using BLAST
analysis than dicotyledons, whereas the phylogenetic analysis was more successful
in the identification of dicotyledons than monocotyledons. With regard to the
consensus identities, 66 out of the 80 plants were identified. Specifically, 50 plants
were determined to only the genus level, while 16 samples were distinguished to the
genus and species levels.
The use of multiple markers - from both the nuclear and chloroplast regions - was
very crucial in the overall high identification success rate achieved in this study. The
data generated from this work can be used as a reference for future studies relating
to the characterization of plants in the Amboseli ecosystem and by extension, in
Kenya. Furthermore, because the selected plants are those that are eaten explicitly
by the Amboseli baboons, the data will be used to conduct a diet metabarcoding
study. | en_US |