Genome
DNA barcoding and traditional taxonomy: An integrated approach for biodiversity conservation
Journal: Genome
Manuscript ID gen-2015-0167.R4
Manuscript Type: Review
Date Submitted by the Author: 27-Jan-2017
Complete List of Authors: Sheth, Bhavisha; Saurashtra University, Department of Biosciences Thaker, Vrinda; Saurashtra University, Department of Biosciences Please Select from this Special Draft N/A Issues list if applicable:
Taxonomy, DNA barcoding, Integrative taxonomy, Biodiversity, Keyword: Conservation
https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/genome-pubs Page 1 of 56 Genome
DNA barcoding and traditional taxonomy: An integrated approach for biodiversity conservation
Bhavisha P. Sheth and Vrinda S. Thaker*
Centre for Advanced Studies in Plant Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering,
Department of Biosciences,
Saurashtra University,
Rajkot 360005
Gujarat
INDIA. Draft *corresponding author
E mail:[email protected]
1 https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/genome-pubs Genome Page 2 of 56
Abstract
Biological diversity is depleting at an alarming rate. Additionally, a vast amount of biodiversity still remains undiscovered. Taxonomy has been serving the purpose of describing, naming, and classifying species for more than 250 years. DNA taxonomy and barcoding have accelerated the rate of this process, thereby providing a tool for conservation practice. DNA barcoding and traditional taxonomy have their own inherent merits and demerits. The synergistic use of both methods, in the form of integrative taxonomy, has the potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation in a pragmatic timeframe and overcome their individual drawbacks. In this review, we discuss the basics of both these methods of biological identification traditional taxonomy and DNA barcoding, the technical advances in integrative taxonomy, and future trends. We also present a comprehensive compilation of published examples of integrative taxonomyDraft that refer to nine topics within biodiversity conservation. Morphological and molecular species limits were observed to be congruent in
~41% of the 58 source studies. The majority of the studies highlighted the description of cryptic diversity through the use of molecular data, whereas research areas like endemism, biological invasion, and threatened species were less discussed in the literature.
Keywords: Taxonomy, DNA barcoding, Integrative taxonomy, Conservation, Biodiversity
We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.
― E. O. Wilson (1999)
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Introduction
The most remarkable feature of life since its inception on Earth is its diversity in forms. The
term “biodiversity” or “biological diversity”, originally coined by Walter Rosen (Wilson
1988), is defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as – “the variability
among living organisms, from all sources, including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems as well as the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes
diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.” Biodiversity thus encompasses
the diversity at gene, species, and ecosystem levels of the biosphere. It resides at the
intersection of various territories of science like taxonomy, molecular biology, biogeography,
ecology, evolution, genetics, and conservation biology (Khuroo et al. 2007).
The majority of life forms on earthDraft are facing a mass extinction at an abnormal rate of
approximately 1000 times the background extinction rate (Pimm et al. 2014), caused
predominantly by human activities unlike the previous five mass extinction events in the