Electrochemical fingerprinting sensor for plant phylogenetic investigation: A case of sclerophyllous oak

Electrochemical fingerprinting can collect the electrochemical behavior of electrochemically active molecules in plant tissues, so it is regarded as a new plant analysis technology. Because the signal of electrochemical fingerprinting is positively correlated with the amount and type of electrochemically active molecules in plant tissues, it can also be used to reflect genetic differences between different species. Previous electrochemical fingerprinting techniques have been frequently used in phylogenetic studies of herbaceous plants. In this work, 19 Quercus species (17 evergreen or semi evergreen species and 2 deciduous species) were selected for investigation. The results indicated the electrochemical fingerprint of some species share similar features but can be distinguished after changing the recording condition (extraction solvent and electrolyte). The two sets of electrochemical fingerprint data can be used to construct different pattern recognition technology, which further speeds up the recognition efficiency. These electrochemical fingerprints were further used in phylogenetic investigations. The phylogenetic results deduced from electrochemical fingerprinting were divided mainly into three clusters. These can provide evidence for some of these arguments as well as new results.

Automated summary

Electrochemical fingerprinting is a new plant analysis technology that can be used to study genetic differences between different species. In this study, 19 Quercus species were investigated using electrochemical fingerprinting, and the results showed that the fingerprint of some species share similar features but can still be distinguished by changing the recording conditions. These electrochemical fingerprints were further used to construct different pattern recognition technology, which increased the recognition efficiency. The phylogenetic results deduced from electrochemical fingerprinting divided the Quercus species mainly into three clusters, providing evidence for genetic relationships between the species.