title: Are plant DNA barcodes a search for the Holy Grail?
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. rubinoff@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rubinoff
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Kipling
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Will
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002965:Classification; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005784:Gene Amplification; D016678:Genome; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D010802:Phylogeny; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA