Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...

Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers

Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers

A species is a group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Typically, individuals of the same species appear similar and share common characteristics due to their highly similar genomes. However, not all organisms that look alike are members of the same species. Various mechanisms keep most species discrete. While some mechanisms prevent reproductive behavior and fertilization (pre-zygotic isolation), others prevent the production of fertile offspring after mating has...

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...

Lampbrush Chromosomes

Lampbrush Chromosomes

In 1882, Flemming observed lampbrush chromosomes (LBC) in salamander eggs. Later in 1892, Rückert observed LBCs in shark egg cells and coined the term "lampbrush chromosomes" because they looked like brushes used to clean kerosene lamps.
LBCs are made up of two pairs of conjugating homologous chromatids. Each chromatid consists of alternatively positioned regions of condensed-inactive chromatin and loosely placed-active side loops, which can be contracted and extended. The loops resemble the...

Position-effect Variegation

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Crop fields complement biodiversity in permanent grasslands across European landscapes.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

LepEU: A Consortium to Study the Population Genomics of Butterflies and Moths Across Europe.

Evolutionary applications·2026

Same author

Review of the genus <i>Hierodula</i> Burmeister (Mantodea: Mantidae) in Iran.

Frontiers in insect science·2026

Same author

A checklist of Mantodea for Myanmar with the first record of <i>Schizocephalabicornis</i> (Mantodea, Eremiaphilidae) for the country.

ZooKeys·2025

Same author

Urbanization-associated range expansion genetically homogenizes a butterfly species.

Current biology : CB·2024

Same author

A climate-induced tree species bottleneck for forest management in Europe.

Nature ecology & evolution·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

Published on: July 11, 2025

Does the DNA barcoding gap exist? - a case study in blue butterflies (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).

Martin Wiemers¹, Konrad Fiedler

¹Department of Population Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria. martin.wiemers@univie.ac.at

Frontiers in Zoology

|March 9, 2007

Summary

DNA barcoding using cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) may misidentify species due to insufficient sampling. Combining DNA data with other evidence is crucial for accurate species identification and discovery.

More Related Videos

Deploying Community Scientists to Conduct Nondestructive Genetic Sampling of Rare Butterfly Populations

Deploying Community Scientists to Conduct Nondestructive Genetic Sampling of Rare Butterfly Populations

Published on: October 28, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

Published on: July 11, 2025

Deploying Community Scientists to Conduct Nondestructive Genetic Sampling of Rare Butterfly Populations

Deploying Community Scientists to Conduct Nondestructive Genetic Sampling of Rare Butterfly Populations

Published on: October 28, 2022

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Genomics
Taxonomy

Background:

DNA barcoding, utilizing a specific mitochondrial gene region (cytochrome c oxidase I - COI), is promoted for rapid species identification.
The efficacy of DNA barcoding relies on a significant "barcoding gap" (interspecific variation >> intraspecific variation) or reciprocal monophyly.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze intra- and interspecific variation in the butterfly family Lycaenidae, focusing on the genus Agrodiaetus.
To evaluate the reliability of DNA barcoding for species identification, particularly concerning the "barcoding gap" and reciprocal monophyly.

Main Methods:

Analysis of COI sequence divergence in the butterfly family Lycaenidae, including the genus Agrodiaetus.
Application of a Neighbour-Joining tree profile approach with comprehensive taxon sampling.

Main Results:

An 18% overlap in intra- and interspecific COI sequence divergence was observed, indicating low interspecific divergence in closely related species.
The "barcoding gap" was found to be an artifact of insufficient taxon sampling.
Approximately 16% of specimens were misidentified using a tree profile approach due to paraphyly or polyphyly of COI sequences, likely from incomplete lineage sorting.

Conclusions:

DNA barcoding alone can lead to a high probability of misidentification; it should be used in conjunction with other data.
While useful for identifying cryptic species, DNA barcoding may overlook well-differentiated species with similar COI sequences.
Comprehensive sampling across taxa is essential for the reliable application of DNA barcoding in species identification and discovery.