📋 Tender Overview
The sequencing of the Marupa will allow to know its genetic diversity and geographical origin better, which will facilitate the sustainable management plans of the species and its use in the restoration of forests.Scientists from the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP), an entity attached to the Ministry of Environment, and the Development Research Institute (IRD) of France managed to sequence for the first time the complete genome of the Marupa Chloroplast (Simaruba Amara), a rapid growth native tree, widely valued by its role in the restoration of degraded Amazon ecosystems.
This scientific advance is crucial to boost restoration strategies in a region where it is estimated that more than 17 % of the Amazon surface presents some degree of degradation, mainly due to deforestation, atrifer mining, forest fires and the disorderly advance of the agricultural border, according to a report of the Amazon Network of Georefielder Information of Georeference of 2022.
The investigation was carried out with long -reading Oxford Nanopore reading sequencing technology, based on samples taken at the IIAP Research Center in Jenaro Herrera, Loreto. The chloroplastic genome obtained has 159 838 pairs of nucleotide bases and 131 genes, with a typical structure of other species of the Simarubaceae family, which confirms its taxonomic location within the Sapindal order.
The Marupa is a native of the tropical jungles of South and Central America and stands out for its ability to adapt to various types of soil, its natural resistance and its accelerated growth, qualities that make it an ideal species to recover areas affected by extractive activities and intensive use of the territory. In addition, its wood is used locally in the manufacture of furniture, paper and light structures.
Until now, there were few genetic resources available for this species, which limited the base studies for its conservation and sustainable management. The sequencing of its chloroplastic genome will develop useful molecular markers to analyze its genetic diversity and origin, and thus respond better to the challenges of restoration and adaptation to climate change.
The phylogenetic analysis of the study also showed that Simaruba Amara is closely related to other species of the same genus, such as S. Versicolor, and with related genres such as Eurycoma.
This achievement is part of the work of the Biodiversity Observatory of the Peruvian Amazon, a joint initiative of the IIAP and the IRD that seeks to strengthen the generation of scientific knowledge for the conservation and sustainable development of the region.
Know more about the study: https://n9.cl/avjvz
