Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Firmiana hainanensis (Malvaceae), an endemic and vulnerable tree species of China

Fengxiao Tan; Achyut Kumar Banerjee; Jie Deng; Hui Feng; Yuanjiao Feng; Yinghua Shu; Jianwu Wang

doi:10.1080/23802359.2022.2160669

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Firmiana hainanensis (Malvaceae), an endemic and vulnerable tree species of China

Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2023 Jan 2;8(1):57-60. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2022.2160669. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Fengxiao Tan¹, Achyut Kumar Banerjee², Jie Deng³, Hui Feng², Yuanjiao Feng¹, Yinghua Shu¹, Jianwu Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Circular Agriculture, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, PR China.
² School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
³ School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, PR China.

Abstract

Firmiana hainanensis Kosterm. is a commercially valuable endemic tree species in China and has long been considered a globally vulnerable species. We assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of this species by using Illumina pair-end sequencing data. The total chloroplast genome size was 161,559 bp, including two inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,612 bp, separated by a large single copy (LSC) and a small single copy (SSC) regions of 90,057 and 20,277 bp, respectively. A total of 130 genes were identified, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that F. hainanensis was the most basal species in the genus Firmiana. The chloroplast genome of this species will provide a theoretical basis to understand the taxa's evolution further and is expected to contribute to its conservation efforts.

Keywords: Firmiana; chloroplast genome; endemic tree; phylogeny; vulnerable species.

Grants and funding

This project was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31200466], the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province for Distinguished Young Scholars, China [2017A030313189, 2022A1515012015].