Are plant DNA barcodes a search for the Holy Grail?

Are plant DNA barcodes a search for the Holy Grail?

In a recent study, Kress et al. compared two plant genomes to seek out plant DNA barcodes. Two promising markers balanced the variability that is needed to distinguish species with conserved primer regions that enable universal amplification. Although this study is the most rigorous effort to date,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam) Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 1 - 2
Main Authors: Rubinoff, Daniel, Cameron, Stephen, Will, Kipling
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Elsevier Ltd 2006
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Classification
Evolution, Molecular
Gene Amplification
Genome
Inheritance Patterns
Phylogeny
Plants - classification
Plants - genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In a recent study, Kress et al. compared two plant genomes to seek out plant DNA barcodes. Two promising markers balanced the variability that is needed to distinguish species with conserved primer regions that enable universal amplification. Although this study is the most rigorous effort to date, problems from earlier barcoding efforts, such as the use of non-evolutionary species concepts and differential sorting of genes and species, could reemerge. Single-gene barcoding might not be universally effective owing to inherent inaccuracies. Kress et al. suggest the use of multiple genes, reflecting an integrated approach that is likely to be the best answer to identifying species quickly and accurately.
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ISSN:0169-5347
1872-8383
DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2005.10.019