GENETIC DIVERSITY OF ARTEMISIA SPECIES IN THE BLACK SEA OF TURKEY

Abstract

The aim of this study were to determine phylogenetic relations among Artemisia species in the Black Sea area of Turkey by sequencing nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (rDNA-ITS). Phylogenetic trees has been created with neighbour joining (NJ), maximum-parsimony (MP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) algorithms in our research. All these algorithms illustrated alike topologies with little variations. Four haplotypes were determined within all investigated plant samples by phylogenetic analysis. Haplotype-I (nine samples) and Haplotype-II (ten samples) were represented in the identical lineage with A. argyi and A. sylvatica, respectively in three phylogenetic trees. Haplotype-III (one sample) and Haplotype-IV (two samples) were formed in the same lineage with A. unalaskensis and A. koidzumii, respectively. In our study, molecular diversity of Artemisia species in the Black Sea of Turkey were confirmed with molecular data by using rDNA-ITS gene and four haplotypes found in this study were from the Artemisia subgenus since they were presented in the same lineage with A. sylvatica, A. argyi, A. unalaskensis and A. koidzumii.