• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.759-763
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• 2008

Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook. fil. was first collected from the Ando, Yeosu, Korea in 2007. H. ovalis is Widely distributed from sub-tropical to even tropical areas and produces the seeds using bisexual reproduction. Its leaf shape was oblong to ovate. Its leaf blades were rigid in texture, with a strong support to the leaf. Erect shoots arose at irregular intervals along the rhizome. The distance between the intramarginal vein and leaves margin was small. Nucleotides in ITS 1 and ITS 2 regions between the Korean and Japanese H. ovalis were found to be 100% similar, whereas Korean H. ovalis was found to have four nucleotides in the positions of 202 bp to 206 bp for 5.8S. In the analysis of the phylogenetic relationship using NJ method, Korean H. ovalis had a monophyletic genetic tree with Japanese H. ovalis, but no phylogenetic relationship with types from the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The first occurrence of H. ovalisin Korea was associated with a strong migration of gene flow from Japan and high water temperature caused by the variations in climate.