Insights into Aquilaria phylogenetics through comparative plastomic resources

Abstract

The plastid is an essential organelle for its role in photosynthesis and energy production and its genomic information is always employed as important evolutionary markers to explore the relationship among species. Agarwood (Aquilaria), prized for its aromatic blend, finds extensive use in various cultures as incense and perfume. Despite its high economic importance, the phylogenetic status among Aquilaria based on plastomes remains ambiguous due to the lack of available plastomic resources. To bridge this knowledge gap, 22 Aquilaria plastomes were newly sequenced, similar variation patterns in this genus were determined, including a shared 16 bp extension of the rps19 gene and seven highly variable regions. The analysis highlighted the highest prevalence of the A/T motif among simple sequence repeats in these plastomes. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed Aquilaria's phylogenetic implications with an expanded dataset. This comprehensive plastomic resource not only enhances our understanding of Aquilaria evolution but also presents potential molecular markers for DNA barcoding.

Keywords

• agarwood
• aquilaria
• plastomes
• evolutionary markers
• dna barcoding.