Data from: Establishing community-wide DNA barcode references for conserving mangrove forests in China

Background: Mangrove ecosystems have been the focus of global attention
for their crucial role in sheltering coastal communities and retarding
global climate change by sequestering ‘blue carbon’. China is relatively
rich in mangrove diversity, with one-third of the ca. 70 true mangrove
species and a number of mangrove associate species occurring naturally
along the country’s coasts. Mangrove ecosystems, however, are widely
threatened by intensifying human disturbances and rising sea levels. The
urgent need to protect mangrove ecosystems could be assisted by using
barcoding technology, which provides rapid species identification.
Results: To investigate this potential, 898 plant specimens were collected
from 33 of the major mangrove sites in China. Based on the morphologic
diagnosis, the specimens were assigned to 72 species, including all 28
true mangrove species and all 12 mangrove associate species recorded in
China. Three chloroplast DNA markers rbcL, trnH-psbA, matK, and one
nuclear marker ITS2 were chosen to investigate the utility of using
barcoding to identify these species. According to the criteria of
barcoding gaps in genetic distance, sequence similarity and phylogenetic
monophyly, we propose that a single marker, ITS2, is sufficient to barcode
the species of mangroves and their associates in China. Furthermore, rbcL
or trnH-psbA can also be used to gather supplement confirming data. In
using these barcodes, we revealed a very low level of genetic variation
among geographic locations in the mangrove species, which is an alert to
their vulnerability to climate and anthropogenic disturbances. Conclusion:
We suggest to use ITS2 to barcode mangrove species and terrestrial coastal
plants in South China. The DNA barcode sequences we obtained would be
valuable in monitoring biodiversity and the restoration of ecosystems,
which are essential for mangrove conservation.