Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Screening and Identification of high efficiency genome wide SSR markers in true mangroves of Rhizophoracaea sp. for taxonomic identity and population structure from West coast of India |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | Molecular Biology and Genetics |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Srekkanth PM, Cochin University Of Science And Technology, Kochi, Kerala |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | sreekanthpm@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | Mangroves occupy estuarine ecosystems in the tropical regions of the world. Despite their highly productive nature and the protective roles they play in the coastal region, the ecosystem as a whole is under severe threat due to various climatic and anthropogenic factors. Rhizophoraceae mangrove family members of true mangroves Rhizophora mucronata and Rhizhophora apiculaata and Brugura exhibits natural hybridization. Hybridization and introgression may enable speciation through gene flow between the species, but sometimes it may converse the method of speciation. However, there is a very little awareness about the effects of either widespread or localized mangrove area loss on an individual mangrove species or populations due to lack of species specific information, Though there are good amount of true mangroves in coastal India, the actual number of mangrove flora that exist in different regions of India is not fully known due to scattered data. Defining mangrove species from putative hybrids using phenotypic characters are always questionable. Putative hybrids were reported within the major genera of Rhizophoracaa family throughout India. Therefore, as an aid of going conservation programme, efforts will be made to assess the potential eco-geographical regions in five different states of West coast of India comprising the true mangoves species which stretches from Bhavnagar estuary of Gujarat to Cochin estuary of Kerala that constitute 15 % true mangrove. The morphological screening aswellas molecular techniques will be applied to generate genome wide microsatellites using Restriction and Digestion sequencing. The Microsatellite identification tool may be used to screen the assembled contigs for identification of microsatellite repeat motifs. All designed primer pairs will be optimized based on high polymorphism to screen the native true mangroves of Rhizophoracaea family from different eco-geographical zones. Thus, compiling the overall data to gain vision about population genomics which governs the evolutionary potential of a species by interpreting the genetic structure and diversity of populations from diverse eco-geographical gradients. These Rhizophoracaea family species are mainly used for restoration in coastal India, and so it is important to know the taxonomical identity of the closely related species to avoid artificially promoting hybridization in mangrove restoration programmes. Conservation of fragmented mangrove populations of these species may provide an important pool of germplasm in West coast of India to maintain the species for the long protection and as conservation units. |
Co-PI: | Dr. V. B. Sreekumar, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala-680653 |
Total Budget (INR): | 43,33,494 |
Organizations involved