Phylogenetic Analysis of Phyllospadix iwatensis Based on Nucleotide Sequences Encoding 18S rRNA and ITS-1

Seagrasses are marine angiosperms of ecological importance in providing shelter and food to aquatic species as well as maintaining the carbon cycle on earth. Phyllospadix iwatensis is a seagrass of the family Zosteraceae and is distributed along the eastern coast of Korea. The nucleotide sequences of P. iwatensis nuclear genes encoding 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) were determined for molecular phylogenetic analysis. Genomic DNA was isolated from P. iwatensis and used for PCR amplification of 18S rRNA and ITS-1. Examination of the 18S rRNA sequence of P. iwatensis showed a close (99% similarity) relationship to Zostera noltii, another genus of Zosteraceae, but a distant (84% similarity) evolutionary relationship to other macroalgal Laminariales species. Further discrepancies found in ITS-1 nucleotide sequences between closely related species indicate that the sequence information could be used for species identification.