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Oct

2

2007
 
 

Missing: barcode gap



Molecular species scanner falls down when needed most, grasshopper study finds taxonomy isn't so easy as some people sayThe is-it--isn’t-it debate over the virtues of DNA barcoding is far from over, as a recent paper in Cladistics shows. Hailed by its proponents as a universal means of measuring biodiversity, the method -- which relies on differences in the genetic sequence of a tiny stretch of mitochondrial DNA -- has been behind numerous studies that show how well, or badly, it sorts living things into neat groups. When Massey University, New Zealand, biologist Steve Trewick applied the technique to South Island’s endemic Sigaus grasshoppers, he found that the splits indicated by the barcode data didn’t match the well-established taxonomic divisions based on differences in the insects’ appearance and habitat. The island grasshopper complex is, well, complex, and DNA barcoding on its own can’t resolve the relationships between populations. But traditional taxonomy has its weaknesses too, Trewick says; the two approaches are best used together. Source: Trewick SA (2007) DNA barcoding is not enough: mismatch of taxonomy and genealogy in New Zealand grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Cladistics DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2007.00174.x Related stories in Conservation magazine: Democratizing Taxonomy | Mind the Gap Image © Andrei Tchernov

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