Taxonomic discrimination of higher plants by pyrolysis mass spectrometry

Abstract

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) is a rapid, simple, high-resolution analytical method based on thermal degradation of complex material in a vacuum and has been widely applied to the discrimination of closely related microbial strains. Leaf samples of six species and one variety of higher plants (Rosa multiflora, R. multiflora var. platyphylla, Sedum kamtschaticum, S. takesimense, S. sarmentosum, Hepatica insularis, and H. asiatica) were subjected to PyMS for spectral fingerprinting. Principal component analysis of PyMS data was not able to discriminate these plants in discrete clusters. However, canonical variate analysis of PyMS data separated these plants from one another. A hierarchical dendrogram based on canonical variate analysis was in agreement with the known taxonomy of the plants at the variety level. These results indicate that PyMS is able to discriminate higher plants based on taxonomic classification at the family, genus, species, and variety level.

Identification of birch pollen species using FTIR spectroscopy

“…An alternative to microscopic analysis could be the identification of genetic material using techniques of molecular detection (Zhou et al 2007 ; Parducci and Suyama 2011 ). Furthermore, pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) can also discriminate plants phylogenetically (Kim et al 2004a , b ). However, biomarkers determined by PyMS data cannot be deconvoluted to identify the chemical compounds (Kim et al 2004a , b ).…”

“…Furthermore, pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) can also discriminate plants phylogenetically (Kim et al 2004a , b ). However, biomarkers determined by PyMS data cannot be deconvoluted to identify the chemical compounds (Kim et al 2004a , b ). This problem can be solved by Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectroscopy.…”

Testing the boundaries of closely related daisy taxa using metabolomic profiling

“…While analytical methods for volatile oils, fatty acids and alkaloids have been developed (Harborne, 1973;Zidorn, 2008;Wink & al., 2010), the mainstay of chemotaxonomy has been the analysis of flavonoids (Wilt & al., 1992;Bohm, 1998;Markham, 2006). Flavonoids have been popular because they are structurally diverse and almost ubiquitous in flowering plants, meaning they can be used at all levels from higher level systematics to the taxonomy of species, populations, and hybrid taxa (Harborne, 1975;Kim & al., 2004;Ekenäs & al., 2009). Further, they are stable and easily identified, meaning they can be extracted from old material or herbarium specimens (Bohm, 1998) and that no special equipment or methods are required to handle and process samples, or identify compounds (Wink, 2003;Zidorn, 2008).…”

“…Chemical data may be informative for determining taxonomic boundaries, using a phenetic approach without inferring evolutionary relationships (Nyman & Julkunen-Tiitto, 2005;Wink & al., 2010). In particular, secondary metabolites have great application for distinguishing taxa at inter-and infraspecific levels (Bohm, 1998;Kim & al., 2004;Nyman & Julkunen-Tiitto, 2005;Zidorn, 2008). They may also be useful for insights into the origin of hybrid taxa (Kirk & al., 2005;Horwarth & al., 2008;Ekenäs & al., 2009).…”