http://phe.rockefeller.edu/barcode/blog/2009/07/26/barcoding-nemo/ About DNA barcoding Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:28:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 http://phe.rockefeller.edu/barcode/blog/2009/07/26/barcoding-nemo/comment-page-1/#comment-102712 Lee Weigt Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:02:12 +0000 http://phe.rockefeller.edu/barcode/blog/?p=2212#comment-102712 This is more good work by the barcoding team up in Guelph. I'd like to make an observation or two - unfortunately, these sequences don't seem to be available on GenBank yet...preventing one from checking if these are "Barcode" keyworded specimens - we too have gathered data on hundreds of species from the aquarium trade, but gathering factually correct collection localities seems near impossible - the importer doesn't want to give up their supplier, the supplier doesn't want to reveal their reef-fish collecting localities, and nobody wants to get caught in areas they are not supposed to be collecting in (or using methods they are not supposed to - remember they are live collecting and these things ended up dying)- this leads to difficulty establishing the true provenance of the specimens which in turn leads to difficulty in interpreting the possible causes of differentiation (closely related species or big geographical variation?). In their BOLD project, it indicates that most have geo-referencing, but with what degree of certainty? While grabbing these imports is easy and efficient, we get much more reliable data by scientifically collecting our specimens ourselves. Our data indicate that an ocean basin or a country's waters is not precise enough. I don't disagree with much in this, just that the weaknesses of the approach weren't even mentioned. I'd hate to encourage this as the standard to which new fish barcoders should strive - it is a compromise. Our fish group wouldn't rank the aquarium trade in the top two reasons threatening global reef fish - those being global warming and habitat loss/degradation - if we could stop collecting today but if they don't have a healthy place to live and reproduce, that effort would be for naught. Many of the species also become the subjects of captive breeding research - Nemo, and all the clown fish species being a prime example. The captive bred tend to be easier to keep and maintain, as well as less expensive - a win-win for all. This is more good work by the barcoding team up in Guelph. I’d like to make an observation or two – unfortunately, these sequences don’t seem to be available on GenBank yet…preventing one from checking if these are “Barcode” keyworded specimens – we too have gathered data on hundreds of species from the aquarium trade, but gathering factually correct collection localities seems near impossible – the importer doesn’t want to give up their supplier, the supplier doesn’t want to reveal their reef-fish collecting localities, and nobody wants to get caught in areas they are not supposed to be collecting in (or using methods they are not supposed to – remember they are live collecting and these things ended up dying)- this leads to difficulty establishing the true provenance of the specimens which in turn leads to difficulty in interpreting the possible causes of differentiation (closely related species or big geographical variation?). In their BOLD project, it indicates that most have geo-referencing, but with what degree of certainty? While grabbing these imports is easy and efficient, we get much more reliable data by scientifically collecting our specimens ourselves. Our data indicate that an ocean basin or a country’s waters is not precise enough. I don’t disagree with much in this, just that the weaknesses of the approach weren’t even mentioned. I’d hate to encourage this as the standard to which new fish barcoders should strive – it is a compromise. Our fish group wouldn’t rank the aquarium trade in the top two reasons threatening global reef fish – those being global warming and habitat loss/degradation – if we could stop collecting today but if they don’t have a healthy place to live and reproduce, that effort would be for naught. Many of the species also become the subjects of captive breeding research – Nemo, and all the clown fish species being a prime example. The captive bred tend to be easier to keep and maintain, as well as less expensive – a win-win for all.

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