A grass molecular identification system for forensic botany: A critical evaluation of the strengths and limitations

• Jodie Ward ^[1] ; Simon R. Gilmore ^[2] ; James Robertson ^[3] ; Rod Peakall ^[1]
  1. [1] Australian National University

     Australian National University

     Australia

     
  2. [2] School of Botany and Zoology, The Australian National University. Centre for Forensic Science, Canberra Institute of Technology
  3. [3] National Manager, Forensic and Data Centres, Australian Federal Police

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• Localización: Journal of forensic sciences, ISSN-e 1556-4029, ISSN 0022-1198, Vol. 54, Nº. 6, 2009, págs. 1254-1260
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Plant material is frequently encountered in criminal investigations but often overlooked as potential evidence. We designed aDNA-based molecular identification system for 100 Australian grasses that consisted of a series of polymerase chain reaction assays that enabled theprogressive identification of grasses to different taxonomic levels. The identification system was based on DNA sequence variation at four chloroplastand two mitochondrial loci. Seventeen informative indels and 68 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were utilized as molecular markers for subfamilyto species-level identification. To identify an unknown sample to subfamily level required a minimum of four markers or nine markers for speciesidentification. The accuracy of the system was confirmed by blind tests. We have demonstrated ‘‘proofofconcept’’ of a molecular identificationsystem for trace botanical samples. Our evaluation suggests that the adoption of a system that combines this approach with DNA sequencing couldassist the morphological identification of grasses found as forensic evidence.