Use of rapd for detecting and identifyingPorphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta)

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was applied to assess the genetic variations and phylogenetic relationships in 4 species ofPorphyra. The samples were collected from the coast of Canada, Vietnam, Zhoushan, Fujian and Qingdao in China. Amplifications with 20 primers were carried out under predetermined optimal reaction conditions (samples were first heated at 94°C for 5 min. and followed by 45 cycles of 1 min at 94°C, 1 min at 36°C, and 2 min at 72°C, then held at 72°C for 10 min). The amplified products were scored as present (1) or absent (0) for each DNA sample and an index of genetic similarity (F) was calculated by using Nei & Li’s matching coefficient method (1979). The value of (1−F) was used to quantify the genetic distances between species and construct a phylogenetic tree. The relationship indicated by the UPGMA and NJ cluster analysis on the values of the genetic distance is in good overall agreement with classical taxonomy. The obvious differences between natural and cultivated population ofP. haitanensi suggest that variation or hybridization with other species occurred during the culture. Contribution No. 100 from the Experimental Marine Biology Laboratory, IOCAS. Contribution No. 3289 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The research supported by the Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.