| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section / ASPT Caujape-Castells, Juli [1], Jaén-Molina, Ruth [1], Cabrera-García, Nereida [1]. Present state of the DNA Bank of the Canarian endemic Flora. THE Canary Islands represent about 1% of the area of Spain, but they harbour more than 50% of the endemic plants in this country, and are the most biodiverse hotspot in Europe and the Northern quarter of Africa. In this contribution, we explain the organisation and philosophy of the DNA bank of the Jardín Botánico Canario “Viera y Clavijo” (JBCVC), which was initiated in July’04 and is conceived as an instrument of knowledge to help design informed conservation strategies for the Canarian Flora. Although our sampling prioritizes natural plant populations of Canarian endemics, we also pursue the representation of congeners from other geographical regions. At present, our facilities contain 1,705 samples that correspond to 292 populations of 202 endemic taxa (species and subspecies) belonging to 71 genera (35 families). Collections are carried out either through expeditions associated with the research projects under way at the JBCVC (see ID:462), or thanks to collaborating institutions and particulars. Since this ex situ conservation facility is not a mere repository of DNA, but a bank, one of our missions is to invest our funds of genetic material in proper collaborative actions aimed at increasing the knowledge of the origins and divergence of the Macaronesian Flora through the information contained in the molecule of plant DNA and multidisciplinary approaches. Samples of the Flora from Cape Verde are kept as a trust fund on behalf of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaçao y Desenvolvimiento Agrario of that country. This project was funded by INTERREG-IIIB Açores-Madeira-Canarias and represents part of a joint effort among the JBCVC, the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Universidade dos Açores, and the Jardim Botánico da Madeira.
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1 - Jardín Botánico Canario \"Viera y Clavijo\", Molecular Biodiversity Labs and DNA Bank, Ap. de correos 14 de Tafira Alta., Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017, Spain
Keywords:
Canary Islands
DNA bank
ex situ conservation.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: 48-128
Location: Auditorium/Bell Memorial Union
Date: Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
Time: 12:30 PM
Abstract ID:184 |
