"We need an accurate inventory of global biodiversity to recognize parasites of medical, economic or ecological importance," says Dr. Escalante. This work will help develop biological control measures, monitor and control of human diseases and potential zoonoses, manage agricultural and aquaculture pathogens, and detect the presence of invasive species."

In a race to document Earth's diminishing biodiversity, other groundbreaking barcoding projects include:

Specimen holdings of the world's natural history museums, many collected in the 18th and 19th centuries, the DNA sequence of which is essential for validating current taxonomic research. The oldest sample sequenced was the original type specimen of a owlet moth, first described in 1788. Researchers will report that mini-barcodes (130 DNA base pairs instead of 645) can accurate identify many fauna species and may be readily obtained from specimens up to 200 years old;

The bees of the world, vital pollinators of crops and flowers: some 10% of roughly 20,000 described species have now been barcoded;

Grasses of the world, one of the largest families of plants in the world including humanity's most important grain crops -- wheat, rice, and maize, and many of the world's most problematic invasive species;

Mexican cacti, many species of which are threatened and protected species under pressure from poaching for sales to low water landscaping companies and private collectors;

The birds of Argentina (a surprisingly large 573 species identified from 2,087 specimens so far) and Bolivia (a project that has turned up evidence of several "cryptic" bird species: indistinguishable except via genetics);

Shore flies of Utah's Great Salt Lake, an important component of the ecosystem, removing an estimated 90 million kg of organic matter from the lake bottom and an important food source for both resident and migratory birds. In summer, its estimated nearly 1 billion flies inhabit each kilometer of lakeshore. Barcoders have added at least six species, difficult to distinguish otherwise, to the list of two previously known;

Land snails of South American forests (Megalobulimus), a source of food since ancient times that has acquired new economic importance due to its cosmetic and nutritional properties. DNA barcodes of the species will help promote their sustainable use;

Heliothinae moths of Australia, a group of some 365 species, including some of the world's most injurious crop pests and serious biosecurity threats;

Fishes of India (nearly 1,570 marine species and 650 freshwater species), Mexico (roughly 2,200 marine and over 500 freshwater species) and Russia (122 freshwater species barcoded to date);

Freshwater fishes of Canada and the United States, a project that has barcoded over 6,000 specimens from some 750 North American species (85% of the known species from this region). The knowledge offers important clues to freshwater fishes conservation efforts and enhances understanding of their biogeography and evolution;

Fish parasites of Canada, a project in which barcoders found (among fewer than half the fish species populating a single river) four times as many diplostomoid parasite species than had been previously known among all freshwater fishes in that country;

Marine macroalgae of Canada -- organisms impossible to identify using other approaches. With about 5,000 barcodes completed, scientists have uncovered more than 100 overlooked (cryptic) species, including six unique to the Churchill region in the low Arctic, along with presumed invasive species and a new family of red algae discovered in one of the most studied areas of Canada;

Barcodes answer important questions

Who owns what: Knowing the source of a biological property can strengthen or weaken indigenous knowledge ownership claims prior to further scientific research and development.

Are imports safe: Timely, accurate identification of potentially invasive agricultural pests is key to decisions on whether goods are rejected or cleared for entry at national borders.

Are imports legal: Efficient monitoring of trade in CITES-listed tree specimens, unavailable at most ports and borders, is vital for their protection.

Getting schoolchildren involved

Two presentations will describe ways in which schoolchildren can engage in barcoding research.

In the UK, the Natural History Museum, London, has partnered with an educational charity to engage 1000 schoolchildren in 'Project BarkCode,' barcoding up to 10,000 UK trees starting in 2010. The project will shed light on the effects of sampling density on DNA barcode performance where the overall number of species is both known and low but where frequent hybridization can lead to identification difficulties. Educational objectives include student participation in 'real science,' rather than repeating canned experiments with known outcomes.

In Canada, students nationwide collected fish samples from stores and analyszed the resulting DNA data, revealing significant market "mislabelling" of seafood.

Source: Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL)