DNA barcoding the flowering plants from the tropical coral islands of Xisha (China).

This study provides the first plant DNA barcode data for the unique ecosystem of tropical coral islands and considerably supplements the DNA barcode library for the flowering plants on the oceanic islands. Based on the PCR and sequencing success rates, and the discriminatory power of the three DNA regions, we recommend ITS as the most successful DNA barcode to identify the flowering plants from Xisha Islands. Due to its high sequence variation and low fungal contamination, ITS could be a preferable candidate of DNA barcode for plants from other tropical coral islands as well. Our results also shed lights on the importance of biodiversity conservation of tropical coral islands.