Seminário sobre: "How are DNA barcodes revolutionising biodiversity discovery and monitoring at global scale?”

The number of species inhabiting our planet is thought to be orders of magnitude higher than the number of formally described species. For centuries ou ability to identify eukaryotic species depended on morphology- based approaches, which are time-consuming, dependent on high taxonomic expertise, and low-throughput. In 2003, a new universal system for identification of eukaryotic species was proposed based on short sequences of a standardised region of the genome: the DNA barcodes. Compared to morphology, DNA barcodes have the ability toaccurately identify species regardless of the development stage, sex, or specimen integrity. At scale, DNA barcodes also promised to provide quick and inexpensive species identifications, thereby greatly facilitating the access to biodiversity knowledge from scientists to citizens. The gradual worldwide implementation of DNA barcoding is contributing to accelerate the rate of species discovery, signalling hundreds of thousands of putative new species, particularly among animals. In this seminar we will provide an overview of DNA-barcode-driven progress and prospects for biodiversity research, with a particular emphasis on our studies using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to discover and monitor marine species and communities.

14 de março (5ª feira), 13h30

Link: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/96605182978