Sometimes plants are so similar to each other that the methods developed by 18th century scientist Carl Linnaeus for identifying species are not enough.
Sometimes plants are so similar to each other that the methods developed by 18th century scientist Carl Linnaeus for identifying species are not enough. In a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, completely new species of daisies have been discovered when analysed using modern DNA technology.
There are currently estimated to be around 8.7 million different species on Earth, of which around 2.2 million are found in the oceans. Many species can be identified in the classical way, by their physical characteristics, the morphology. For over a decade, botanists and zoologists have also been using DNA sequencing to more accurately identify species. So far, scientists have selected a single site in the DNA that is typical of the species, but this sometimes risks being wrong.
“There are times when different plant species are difficult to characterise from a small DNA sequence. But now DNA sequencing has taken several steps forward and we have been able to identify completely new species by analysing a larger part of the genome,” says Zaynab Shaik, author of a doctoral thesis at the University of Gothenburg.
Read more at: University of Gothenburg
Stoebe daisy bushes included in the study on a mountain slope near Villiersdorp in the Western Province of South Africa. (Photo Credit: Zaynab Shaik)
