WALSH, BRIAN M.* AND SARA B. HOOT. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53201. - Evolutionary relationships of species within Capsicum (Solanaceae) based on two non coding DNA sequences.
Sequences from two DNA non-coding regions, the atpB/rbcL spacer
region in the chloroplast genome and the internal transcribed spacer
region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS 1 and 2), are being used to
resolve species relationships within Capsicum (chili peppers).
Thirteen distinct species of Capsicum (including C.
galapagoense ) are in our sampling as well as representatives of
five cultivated varieties. Both Lycopersicon and
Lycianthes are included as outgroups. The preliminary ITS
sequences are subject to numerous insertion/deletions and two
different copies are present in the species surveyed to date. Plasmid
cloning with subsequent gel electrophoresis is being employed to
separate the two ITS copies. The chloroplast spacer region exhibited
no insertion/deletions. Both the ITS region and atpB/rbcL
spacer region exhibit an appropriate level of variation for this
study. Preliminary results with a reduced sampling indicate a
strongly supported sister group relationship between C. eximium
and C. annuum. Two different varieties of C. baccatum
are resolved as sister taxa.
Key words: atpB/rbcL spacer, botany, Capsicum, ITS, Solanaceae, systematics