The “Barcode Blitz”: accelerating the targeted capture of barcode data John La Salle, Beth Mantle CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra, Australia Jeff Webb, Rodolphe Rougerie, Paul Hebert Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Guelph
May 10, 2015
The “Barcode Blitz”: accelerating the targeted capture of barcode data
John La Salle, Beth MantleCSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra, Australia
Jeff Webb, Rodolphe Rougerie, Paul HebertBiodiversity Institute of Ontario, Guelph Canada
The “Barcode Blitz” - ANIC Lepidoptera
• A coordinated assault for targeted and priority capture of barcode data on ANIC Lepidoptera
• Has shown it is possible to gather large amounts of data quickly
• Built a substantive library for a megadiverse group at continental scale in a short time frame
• Fits into / supports• Large scale digitisation efforts• Research outcomes• Operational outcomes• Rapid species discovery
The “Barcode Blitz”
Two visits from BIO / Guelph team to ANIC
5 people x 5 weeks each
Jaclyn McCormick Paul Hebert
Jayme Sones Rodolphe Rougerie
Stephanie deWaard Jeff Webb
Cirsty Carr Jeremy deWaard
Renee Labbee Patrick Strutzenberger
Valerie Levesque-Beaudin Mari Kekkonen
The “Barcode Blitz”
• In 10 weeks
• 28,000 specimens processed• 8,000 species • Databased, geocoded, imaged on site• Leg taken• Sequenced in Canada
Assembly line processing
Assembly line processing
Selecting specimens
• Multiple specimens per OTU
Selecting specimens
• From collection to array box
Specimens into array boxes
• Each space numbered
• Aligns with number of wells in lysis plate
• Position of every specimen taken from collection marked
Specimens databased and geocoded
Specimens into processing boxes
• Specimens labelled as they are processed
• BOLD label
• ANIC label
Every specimen photographed
Leg removed for barcoding
• Each lysis plate gets unique label that ties it back to array box
Specimens back to collection
• Specimens returned to exactly where they were taken
The “Barcode Blitz”
• In 10 weeks
• 28,000 specimens processed• 8,000 species • Databased, geocoded, imaged on site• Uploaded to BOLD within 24 hours• Leg taken• Sequenced in Canada
The “Barcode Blitz” - what did we achieve
Despite an average age of 30 years, COI sequences were recovered from more than 95% of the specimens
The “Barcode Blitz” - what did we achieve
Provided the first continent-wide data set for a megadiverse insect group in Australia within a short period of time (about 90% of named Lepidoptera)
Provides a model for inclusion in other initiatives aimed at the high-throughput accumulation of priority data sets.
Establishes the great value of existing natural history collections as a basis for fast tracking the development of comprehensive DNA barcode libraries.
Despite popular opinion …
The “Barcode Blitz” - Australian benefits
•Digital records in ANIC, ALA, BOLD
(28,000 databased, geocoded, imaged specimens)
The “Barcode Blitz” - results
• What did we achieve
The “Barcode Blitz” - results
• What did we achieve
The “Barcode Blitz” - Australian benefits
• ANIC barcoding blitz activity is our clearest and most positive example of an accelerated and serious attempt to digitise a significant representative sample of a national collection.
• Presenting the results in their fullness (including the capability of this process to highlight the range of undescribed diversity) would be a key element in a case to support a major national digitisation activity
One example of international benefit
• A message from South Africa
“Note that the mitochondrion sequences we obtained from the groundnut leaf miner in South Africa matched 100% with the soybean moth Approaerema simplexella PS1 from Australia on the BOLD system, and that is the reason we are interested in the soybean moth in Australia.”
The “Barcode Blitz” - Australian benefits
• A searchable digital library for Australian Lepidoptera (including images and barcoding)
• Foundation for a variety further studies• Facilitate identification• Able to connect life histories• Informs systematics, biodiversity, biosecurity
• Foundation for Rapid Taxonomy efforts
Rapid Taxonomy of Australian Xylorictidae
Generations of investment in morphology (through putative species sorted in the collection)
Estimated 250 new species – with most of them already sorted to morphospecies
Rapid Taxonomy of Australian Xylorictidae
• Group with no active specialist (last description in 1964) – no revisions on horizon.
• Other major museums have made types of Australian xylorictids available for barcoding/study
• Become a project for Patrick Strutzenberger (PhD student, Guelph)• DNA barcodes will be used to verify/validate morphospecies in
collection• Produce standardized descriptions + images + barcodes (?plus
genitalia)• Can progress taxonomic knowledge of this group rapidly
• GOAL: 250 species described in 2 years, with 100 done by this time next year
Accelerated Species Discovery
taxonomist Accelerated phenomics
Accelerated DNA
Accelerated species discovery and
description
Crowdsourcing citizen
scientists
Contact UsPhone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176
Email: [email protected] Web: www.csiro.au
Thank you
Funding:Genome CanadaCSIRO Transformational Biology
Bio Team from Guelph:Jaclyn McCormick Rodolphe Rougerie
Jayme Sones Jeff Webb
Stephanie deWaard Jeremy deWaard
Cirsty Carr Patrick Strutzenberger
Renee Labbee Mari Kekkonen
Valerie Levesque-Beaudin