BARCODING life HIGHLIGHTS 2011 STICHODACTYLA ANEMONE AMPHIPRION PERCULA ORANGE CLOWNFISH BUILDING THE DNA BARCODE SYSTEM FOR THE WORLD’S ANIMALS, PLANTS, AND FUNGI THE BIODIVERSITY CHALLENGE Understanding life on Earth—what lives where, how life interacts, and how life is changing—begins with identifying species. DNA barcodes—short DNA sequences from a uniform location on the genome— distinguish animal, plant, and fungal species. A simple, standardized identification system, DNA barcoding assists researching, monitoring, and appreciating Earth’s changing biodiversity. XYLOCOPA VIRGINICA EASTERN CARPENTER BEE SALVIA OFFICINALIS GARDEN SAGE M. STOECKLE BARCODE-BASED DISCOVERIES Cataloguing hidden diversity. Some groups Safeguarding public health. In East Africa, Untangling names. Every scientific name is with simple external features may seem researchers analyzed blood meals of tsetse based on a particular type specimen archived lacking in diversity, but DNA tells another flies (Glossina swynnertoni), the vector of in a museum or herbarium, which serves story. In red algae (Phylum Rhodophyta), trypanosomiasis, documenting geographic as a permanent reference for the species common seaweeds around the world, COI differences in animal hosts, helping inform name. When the type specimen degrades barcodes point to dozens of unrecognized local control strategies. over time or is damaged, diagnostic species hidden among the 1,200 analyzed (CN MUTURI ET AL, PLOS ONE 2011) features may be lost. This makes difficult so far. The widespread and invasive classifying similar-looking specimens, common earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, sometimes resulting in misidentifications named by Linnaeus and studied by Darwin, or multiple names assigned to the same is revealed by barcoding to be two distinct species. Researchers are barcoding type species, previously unrecognized due to specimens, like the moth shown above, overlapping variation in size and shape. anchoring the species name to a DNA code, (GW SAUNDERS ET AL, BOTANY 2010; SW JAMES ET AL, PLOS ONE 2011) widely-accessible even when morphologic features of the defining original are lost. (PDN HEBERT, BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ONTARIO; P12 P11 P30 P38 P21 P1 P3 P40 P2 P44 P45 P13 P41 P37 P34 PHOTO: STUART HUMPHREYS, AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM) LEFT: LITTLE BROWN BAT (MYOTIS LUCIFUGUS) RIGHT: INSECT PARTS IN BAT GUANO Finding facts from fragments. Gut contents and feces reveal hidden predator-prey relationships and help trace the network of interactions that make up a food web. H3 H16 H15 H28 H36 H2 H1 H4 H17 H5 Researchers in Africa and Canada used DNA sequences from bat guano to reveal Targeting pests naturally. Barcoding speeds unanticipated diversity of prey and roosts the search for natural insect predators by specializing in different hunting grounds. accurately identifying potential biocontrol (BOHMANN ET AL, PLOS ONE 2011; EL CLARE ET AL, MOL ECOL 2011; agents, usually tiny, otherwise-hard-to-iden- PHOTOS: EL CLARE, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL) Discovering diagnostic differences. DNA tify parasitic wasps or flies, including those barcodes sort specimens into unequivocal still developing inside larvae. This approach categories, helping experts discover revealed unexpected parasitic insect distinguishing features. This approach diversity for spruce budworm moth prompted recognition of a new European (Choristoneura fumiferana), the most liverwort, Herbertus norenus, from speci- economically destructive insect in North mens previously misclassified under two America. Parasitic insects, or parasitoids, other names. Correcting classifications are also key components of natural enabled taxonomists to discern diagnostic ecosystems. In New Guinea, barcodes features for H. norenus and its once identified 93 hitherto unknown connec- confusing close relatives, strengthening tions among lepidopteran hosts and their species descriptions for the entire group. Rediscovering lost species. The Barcoding multiple parasitoids. (D BELL ET AL, MOL ECOL RES 2011) Fauna Bavarica project (Germany) turned up (MA SMITH ET AL PLOS ONE; HRCEK ET AL, MOL ECOL RES 2011) several rarely-seen species, including the predatory water beetle Graphoderus bilineatus, thought locally extinct for 26 years. (A HAUSMANN, BARCODING FAUNA BAVARICA) HELPING SOCIETY AND SCIENCE SUNDAY OCT 23, 2011 SPECIAL REPORT FISHY BUSINESS BAIT AND SWITCH: Protecting consumers. In the past year, Helping threatened species. Illegal fishing Improving environmental monitoring. barcode surveys in Canada, Ireland, Spain, practices threaten sharks and rays (Class Finding out what lives in the water is the United Kingdom, and United States Elasmobranchii). Many species are protected most accurate way to measure the health of documented 10 –50 percent mislabeling of by law, but enforcement of regulations rests streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and oceans. fish products, including those sold at on recognizing dried fins and other frag- Traditional bioassessment with microscopes prominent restaurants and stores. In all mentary specimens. The Pew Ocean and morphologic keys often takes months studies, inaccuracies involved substitution Environment Group highlighted DNA and often identifies only to genus or family with less expensive or less desirable species. barcoding as a “rapid, reliable, inexpensive level. Barcoding of invertebrates in marine Mislabelings include selling imported, method of identifying shark body parts in and freshwater samples is accelerating farmed fish as locally caught, and selling trade.” As of September 2011, researchers identifications and improving accuracy. The species at risk of decline as sustainably have barcoded nearly 9,000 specimens Southern California Coastal Water Research harvested fish. Responding to calls for from over 500 elasmobranch species, Project (SCCWRP) together with US improved monitoring, the US Food and establishing ineffaceable identifiers for 50 Environmental Protection Agency, Stroud Drug Administration (FDA) formally percent of the world’s sharks and rays. Water Research Center (SWRC), and adopted DNA barcoding for seafood (PEW ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP OCEAN SCIENCE REPORT, Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, is MARCH 2010; D STEINKE, MARBOL). identification in October 2011. developing standardized barcoding methods (CONSUMER REPORTS, DECEMBER 2011; BOSTON GLOBE, OCTOBER 23, for bioassesment. 2011; R HANNER ET AL, PLOS ONE 2011; D MILLER ET AL, FISH FISHERIES 2011; OCEANA, REPORT MAY 25, 2011; PEW CENTER FOR (B SWEENEY ET AL, J N AMER BENTHOL SOC 2011; PUBLIC INTEGRITY, REPORT JULY 12, 2011; WWW.FDA.GOV/FOOD/ PHOTOS: B SWEENEY, SWRC; P MILLER, SCCWRP) FOODSAFETY/PRODUCT-SPECIFICINFORMATION/SEAFOOD/ DNASPECIATION) Exciting educators. The TeaBOL student investigators helped inspire Cold Spring Harbor’s Urban Barcode Project, a science competition open to all public and private Inspiring artists. A video installation on Engaging young minds. At Coastal Marine school students in New York City, with species and barcodes was chosen for Biolabs, Ventura, California, high school $10,000 prizes. Here teachers attend an “Unnamed,” an exhibition of unsung students are collecting reference barcodes Urban Barcode workshop at GenSpace, a design. The exhibition, curated by the for marine life in the kelp forest and community science laboratory in Brooklyn, Chinese artist and political activist Ai near-shore areas in a federally-funded New York. Weiwei, was part of the Gwangju Design project. In New York City, high school (D MICKLOS, COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY (CSHL); PHOTO: CSHL) Biennale in South Korea in October 2011. students found 35 percent of commercial (NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 2, 2011) herbal teas contained unlisted ingredients, ranging from chamomile to common weeds. The TeaBOL students co-authored an article in Nature’s Scientific Reports in June 2011, sparking global news coverage and inquiries from tea manufacturers. (R IMONDI, COASTAL MARINE BIOLABS (CMB); MY STOECKLE ET AL, SCIENTIFIC REP 2011; PHOTOS: CMB, COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY) BUILDING THE LIBRARY Collecting in collections. Natural history Establishing accessible, permanent identifiers. Spawning new expeditions. A group of museums and herbaria are organized Translating specialist knowledge into the Argentine and Bolivian scientists is hotspots of biodiversity, thanks to decades simple language of DNA helps share collecting Bolivian insect and bird speci- of expeditions and countless hours of taxonomic expertise with a broad audience. mens for traditional and barcode study. curating. Demonstrating their enormous Recording identifications in DNA may be Many of these will become part of local value, a team of researchers barcoded particularly critical for the less charismatic biorepositories and the rapidly growing 28,000 moth and butterfly specimens in groups with few taxonomic experts. Research- research infrastructure for barcoding. just ten weeks at CSIRO’s Australian ers recently barcoded 2,334 marine annelid Springtime in South Africa launches the National Insect Collection (ANIC) in worms at eight locations in the Atlantic, annual Toyota Enviro Outreach expedition Canberra, representing about 65 percent of Arctic, and Pacific oceans ranging from tidal —researchers with a fleet of specially the country’s 10,000 known species. Even flats to ocean floor sediments at 60 meters— equipped 4x4 vehicles head to remote though many were older than 20 years, over some of the incredible diversity is shown biodiversity hotspots to gather specimens 80 percent of the ANIC specimens pro- above.