A taxonomic study on rafflesia species from Tanjung Datu National Park, Sarawak
Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) is the largest flower in the world and it is an iconic species in Sarawak. Three Rafflesia species can be found in Sarawak, namely R. keithii, R. pricei, and R. tuan-mudae. An unknown Rafflesia species was discovered from Tanjung Datu National Park, Sarawak. This species m...
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| Format: | Final Year Project Report / IMRAD |
| Language: | English |
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Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS)
2015
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| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10614/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10614/4/Choi%20Yen%20%28fulltext%29.pdf |
| Summary: | Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) is the largest flower in the world and it is an iconic species in Sarawak. Three Rafflesia species can be found in Sarawak, namely R. keithii, R. pricei, and
R. tuan-mudae. An unknown Rafflesia species was discovered from Tanjung Datu National Park, Sarawak. This species morphologically resembled to R. hasseltii from Sumatra, Indonesia. In order to identify the unknown Rafflesia species, a morphological and molecular analysis were conducted. In this study, a detailed description of the unknown Rafflesia species and a taxonomic key to the Rafflesia species were made. Molecular analyses were carried out by sequencing two DNA regions (ITS and l6S rDNA) of the unknown Rafflesia species and compare with sequences of R. hasseltii. There are some morphological differences between the unknown Rafflesia species and R. hasseltii. In addition, molecular analyses showed that genetically these two species are quite distinct. Therefore, the unknown Rafflesia species may probably be a novel species. However, further molecular analysis is needed to support these findings. |
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