Rationale
Species identifications underpin all of biological research. Existing morphologically-based diagnostic approaches are often both cumbersome to use and are effective only for certain life stages. DNA-based systems promise to revolutionize the task of identification by providing reliable, inexpensive and rapid diagnosis of species identity.
Imagine a day when any living thing can be identified accurately and rapidly to the species level using a hand-held device the size of a cellular phone. A day when the biodiversity of an entire nation can be inventoried and monitored, and thereby better protected. When invasive species, disease agents and their vectors, and agricultural pests can all be identified and tracked with ease, thus saving millions of dollars and improving both human health and that of the natural environment. When pollen grains at a crime scene can be linked to those on a suspect’s shoes, the quality of water analyzed in terms of its living inhabitants as well as its chemical constituents, and endangered or dangerous species crossing national borders immediately recognized – not just by highly trained professional taxonomists, but by anyone. A day when bio-prospectors will be able to collect and rapidly identify thousands of species that may yield new lifesaving drugs, and when the plant and animal ingredients in food products can be assessed with certainty even after processing. Imagine a day when every curious mind, from professional biologists to schoolchildren, will have immediate access to the names and biological attributes of any species on the planet.
To be sure, this still rings of science fiction. But thanks to an ambitious effort by a growing consortium of scientists, it is poised to become reality. The method that will enable this advance is "DNA barcoding", an approach that employs a small fragment of DNA, a portion of a single gene, to provide a unique identifier – a "DNA barcode" – for each living species on Earth. Using these DNA barcodes, it will be possible to identify any organism, be it juvenile or adult, male or female, large or small, from only a tiny piece of tissue. This is vastly more efficient than traditional approaches which are often based on the detailed examination of specific body parts and which typically require interpretation by trained experts. In addition, because DNA barcoding quickly distinguishes new species, it will greatly accelerate the rate of their discovery. Given that it has taken 250 years to describe roughly 15% of life’s estimated diversity and that this diversity is now being lost at an alarming rate, the taxonomic revolution incited by DNA barcoding arrives at a critical time.