DNA barcoding and phylogeny in neotropical species of the genus Spondias

The genus Spondias belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, with about 18 species, having significant economic and social importance and with some species used in the agricultural industry, however, problems are encountered when trying to identify phylogenetic relationships among the species. The use of DNA barcoding is of importance to this group, allowing species identification at the molecular level and in determining the phylogenetic relationships within the group. The objective of this study is to obtain DNA barcoding and to determine the phylogenetic relationships among the species. For this, DNA from six species of the genus was extracted and amplified by PCR using sequences from the rbcL and matK genes and the trnH-psbA spacer gene, followed by sequencing using the Sanger method. The results show that the matK and rbcL genes cannot be used for DNA barcoding, because their discriminatory level between species is low. On the other hand, trnH-psbA shows a high level of discrimination, allowing most of the species to be identified. However it is not possible to separate Spondias venulosa and Spondias tuberosa. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Spondias mombim and S. tuberosa are distinct “umbucajá” clades, suggesting a non-hybrid origin for “umbucajá”.