DNA Barcoding, Morphological Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Syzygium spp. of Family Myrtaceae in Sri Lanka: Implications for Conservation and Sustainable Exploitation.
Summary
Sri Lanka has an outstanding floristic diversity and it provides habitats for many other species, with some yet undiscovered. However, introducing integrated approaches of classical and modern molecular techniques are very important to envisage true diversity of species and their applications in conservation and sustainable utilization. The proposed research aims to study the diversity and conservation of largest Sri Lankan flowering plant genus Syzygium in family Myrtaceae, an ecologically and economically important plant group. Most of the natural habitats of these species have been under threat. This research will provide valuable insights to the taxonomy, diversity and conservation of this plant group to preserve floristic wealth in Sri Lanka. Research findings of this project can be effectively used in assessing conservation status of these plant species and subsequent national policy planning of biodiversity conservation of Sri Lanka. The Syzygium species are also economically important for the pharmaceutical and floriculture industries. The outcome of this project will not only solve the taxonomical problems but will exploit the potential applications in sustainable and green economy. Evaluating past and present distribution data of this kind of sensitive plant groups can be used as an indicator of effects of climate change on Sri Lankan flora. Furthermore, this project will support to introduce novel molecular based plant identification techniques to the National Herbarium, of the department of National Botanic Gardens National Herbarium is the main government institute responsible for plant identification and conservation of Sri Lankan flora.
Objectives
- Morphological characterization and analysis of morphological data to understand discrepancies in present morphology-based taxonomy of different species/taxa of the genus Syzygium
- DNA barcoding of Syzygium taxa for species identification
- Understanding the phylogenetic relationships of Syzygium species in Sri Lanka
- Ecological Niche Modeling for selected endemic species of the genus (narrow and widely distributed) for climatic change predictions
- Preparation of an illustrated field guide to the genus Syzygium in Sri Lanka
Major Equipment Facilitated by Grant
N/A