INTRODUCTION

Simple & Ambitious!

Advocates Opposition

ID all species

Discover new species

Speed up ID’s

Revitalize biological collections

Won’t work

Destroy traditional systematics

Service industry

Pseudo taxonomy

New Scientist26 June, 2004

Trends in Ecology & EvolutionFeb. 2003. Vol. 18, Iss. 2

3 of these 5 are the most downloaded papers in TREE

1. Taxonomy: renaissance or Tower of Babel? Jim Mallet et al4. A plea for DNA taxonomy Tautz et al5. The encyclopedia of life Edward Wilson

Propositions to vote on:

i) Should we devote resources towards sequencing a reference collection of specimens for the development a DNA barcoding system? [Yes, No, or Abstain]

ii) Should DNA sequences play a primary role in the discovery of new species?

[Yes, No, or Abstain]

Vote before and after the debate!

SPECIMENS

Barcoding Specimens1 2

3

4

5

Specimen 1

1

Class Bivalvia Linnaeus, 1758 -- bivalves   Order Unionoida Stoliczka, 1871      Family Unionidae Fleming, 1828         Genus Epioblasma Rafinesque, 1831            Species Epioblasma torulosa (Rafinesque, 1820)

tubercled blossom

Wabash County, Illinois

EXTINCT

Specimen 2

2

Class Insecta -- insects   Order Coleoptera -- beetles      Family Scarabaeidae -- scarab beetle         Genus Melolontha             Species Melolontha melolontha (L., 1758)

common cockchafer, May bug

Hungary

Very distinctive, but European

Specimen 3

3

Class Clitellata/Hirudinea Lamarck, 1818 -- leeches   Order Arhynchobdellida Blanchard, 1894      Family Erpobdellidae Blanchard, 1894         Genus Erpobdella de Blainville, 1818            Species Erpobdella punctata (Leidy, 1870)

Leech (no common name)

Illinois

Common & widespread in NANot very distinctive

Specimen 4

New species, no PEET program!

Psocid (no common name)

Arizona

Class Insecta -- insects   Order Psocoptera  -- psocids      Family Myopsocidae         Genus Myopsocus            Species Myopsocus sp. n.

4

Specimen 5

Fly Agaric

Illinois

Class Homobasidiomycetae    Order Agaricales  -- stereotypical mushrooms      Family Amanitaceae         Genus Amanita            Species Amanita muscaria var. formosa

5

e.g. of CONTAMINATION!

Vouchering essential, No COI

Conclusions

• Some specimens unsuitable for barcodinge.g. Fossilized/Extinct taxa

• No COI for many taxa

• Many taxa difficult/impossible to ID withe.g. immature specimens, cryptic taxa etcmorphology

• No specialists for many taxa

• No training necessary for barcoding!

• Already in use for many taxa ( bacteria, fungi, Cetacea)

DEBATEQUESTIONS

A) What is DNA Barcoding

i) What are the barcoding regions and what are their properties that make them useful?

[Richard Pyle, Bishop Museum, USA – amongst others]

A) What is DNA Barcodingii) Would the DNA barcode represent a *definition* of a species?

[David Fitch, New York University, USA – amongst others]

A) What is DNA Barcoding

iii) How would DNA barcoding work in practice and who should be doing it?

[Vince Smith, Illinois Natural History Survey, USA]

B) DNA barcoding in species identification

i) How will the DNA barcoding identifications deal with the overlap between intraspecific and interspecific variation documented in many groups? [Everybody!]

B) DNA barcoding in species identification

ii) To what extent will DNA barcoding support the efforts of traditional taxonomy?

[David Yeates, CSIRO, Australia]

B) DNA barcoding in species identificationiii) Is accuracy of identification (to the right clade) possible in the absence of accuracy in family- and genus-level topology? [Jim Hayden, Cornell University, USA]

C) DNA barcoding in species discoveryi) How confident can we be in the utility of DNA barcodes to discover new species when it has been demonstrated that many species are not mitochondrially monophyletic, and thus share mitochondrial polymorphisms with other species?

[Daniel Funk, Vanderbilt University, USA]

C) DNA barcoding in species discoveryii) With a program of DNA barcoding what would be sufficient to demonstrate that a specimen represents a new species? [Kevin Johnson, Illinois Natural History Survey, USA]

D) Political & practical implications

i) What will be the role of systematists in a world where most identifications are done by "barcode" and will the expansion of sequencing efforts come at the expense of systematics in general [Jim Hayden, Cornell University, USA]

D) Political & practical implications

ii) Assuming the technical problems of DNA barcoding can be overcome is it now, or will it ever be cost-effective relative to traditional methods to use DNA barcodes for bioinventory purposes? [Derek S. Sikes, University of Calgary, Canada]

D) Political & practical implications

iii) Will identification by barcodes increase people's enthusiasm for living things?

[Jim Hayden, Cornell University, USA]

CLOSINGREMARKS

Propositions to vote on:

i) Should we devote resources towards sequencing a reference collection of specimens for the development a DNA barcoding system? [Yes, No, or Abstain]

ii) Should DNA sequences play a primary role in the discovery of new species?

[Yes, No, or Abstain]

Lessons for the all species project, from the human genome project…

Kevin Kelly

• The Human Genome Project featured a goal that probably would have happened anyway over time… It took ordinary work and raised it to the level of legend and myth by attempting to complete it "all" in a relatively short time. The Genome project then is primarily distinguished by its emphasis on "all."

Lessons for the all species project, from the human genome project…

Kevin Kelly

• A reoccurring theme in the mission statement of the All Species Inventory is the need for radically different and new tools. All Species must be open to the possibility of succeeding using enhanced existing tools applied in new ways, or simply old tools automated to lightening speed. However because current taxonomic procedures are so low tech, almost any improvement may resemble radical technology.

Lessons for the all species project, from the human genome project…

Kevin Kelly

• All Species has an even better chance to become a project the public cares about. Far more people can identify a known species than can identify a known DNA sequence… This is a project that can relate to everyone: All species for all people.

• Someday all the species living on earth will be identified, although surely not all the ones alive today. Why not now?

Acknowledgements:

The Panel: Paul Hebert & Kip Will

The Students: Martin Hauser, Daniela Takiya, Mathys Meyer, Floyd Shockley, & Jamie Zahniser

Specimen providers: Kevin Cummings, Martin Hauser, Andrew Miller, Mark Wetzle, & Kazunori Yoshizawa

Conference organisers: Especially Mike Irwin & Gail Kampmeier

Funding: National Science Foundation