DNA barcoding

DNA barcoding is a relatively recent method used to identify a species from its DNA sequence, obtained from a tiny tissue sample of the organism being studied. It is especially useful for studying newly discovered species and for understanding the ecological and evolutionary relationships between different living beings.

The process involves two basic steps: (a) building up a reference library of DNA barcode sequences from already-known species, and (b) comparing the barcode sequence obtained from an unknown sample against that reference library to identify it. …