Teaching design and practice of DNA barcode technology in plant taxonomy experimental course
Plant taxonomy experiments have always been a crucial component of university botany courses,serving as a sgnificant prac-tical link in the pursuit of mastering plant taxonomy.In traditional teaching methods,teachers usually establish a fundamental system of plant classification for students depend on campus plants,specimen halls,parks,and nature reserves.With the rapid advancement of biotechnology,however,people have begun to utilize the genetic information carried within plant DNA to identify plant species.The emerging field of plant DNA barcoding technology has gradually become both a thriving research area and an efficient plant identifica-tion method.Therefore,incorporating this technology into plant taxonomy experiments in universities can not only enhance students'comprehension and grasp of plant taxonomy knowledge,but also improve their molecular biology experimental skills and scientific ex-perimental literacy.In this study,common gymnosperms found on campus were taken as a case in point to study their DNA barcodes using ITS2 and rbcL sequences,to explore the phylogenetic relationships of these groups,and to provide molecular evidence for their accurate identification as well.Meanwhile,a teaching design was proposed based on plant DNA barcode technology in university plant taxonomy experiments that allows students to comprehend the characteristics and evolutionary relationships of common campus plants from both a morphological and molecular perspective.