Case Study
Submitted By
| Name: | Rajendran Rajaram |
| Institution: | Department of Marine Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli – 620 024, Tamilnadu |
| Country: | India |
| Email: | drrajaram69@rediffmail.com |
Title & Categories
| Case Study Title: | Reef associated ichthyofaunal taxonomy through DNA barcoding in Bay of Bengal, East coast of India |
| Focus Theme: | Systematic revision of an entire taxon, Species conservation, Resolving discrete taxonomic problems, Biotic inventory of a poorly known taxonomic group, Adding barcodes to a large survey of a taxonomic group, Resolving discrete taxonomic problems, Experimental application of barcodes to a new taxonomic group, Biotic inventory of multiple taxa in a region or habitat, Biotic inventory of a poorly known taxonomic group, Species conservation, Species conservation, Invasive species, Experimental application of barcodes to a new taxonomic group, Biotic inventory of a poorly known taxonomic group, Experimental application of barcodes to a new taxonomic group, Systematic revision of an entire taxon, Adding barcodes to a large survey of a taxonomic group |
| Geographic Region: | North America, Central America, Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean, East Asia, Indian Ocean, Andaman Sea, South America |
| Habitat Type: | Terrestrial tropical forest, Terrestrial temperate forest, Terrestrial montane, Terrestrial desert, Estuarine, Marine - Other, Marine continental shelf water column, Marine - Other, Intertidal, Estuarine, Marine open ocean water column, Terrestrial cultivated land, Terrestrial tropical forest, Terrestrial temperate forest |
| Taxonomic Group: | c: Magnoliophyta, f: Chondrichthyes, f: Osteichthyes, f: Osteichthyes, f: Chondrichthyes, f: VERTEBRATES, d: Arthropoda - Hexapoda - Other Insecta, c: PLANTS, c: Magnoliophyta |
Scope
The primary goals of DNA barcoding focus on the assembly of reference libraries of barcode sequences for known species in order to develop reliable, molecular tools for species identification in nature. DNA barcoding data plays an important role in ichthyofaunal diversity assessment in the Bay of Bengal by developing the DNA barcoding protocol for marine, freshwater and brackish water ichthyofaunal taxonomy study and establishing the DNA barcoding library at national and international level. This project will also help easy and quick identification of ichthyofauna and will frame out new taxonomy tool for reef associated ichthyofaunal diversity and conservation. The total duration of the project period is 3 years (October 2009 to September 2012)
Purpose
We are currently facing a biodiversity crisis. Each day habitats are changed due to human activity, and each day organisms are disappearing forever. Marine habitats are no exception to this. At the same time, the number of taxonomists studying ichthyofaunal biodiversity is dwindling. Recruitment of a new generation of taxonomists has been poor. Barcoding solves these problems, because non-specialists can obtain barcodes from tiny amounts of tissue. DNA barcoding has established a standardized approach across taxonomic groups, facilitating fast, accurate species identifications. This gives it the ability to aid the rapid acquisition of taxonomic assignments, especially for well-surveyed areas, and to highlight cases in need of detailed taxonomic study for poorly known and highly speciose groups. DNA barcodes can serve as genetic vouchers to validate field identifications made by researchers with taxonomic background, making them a valuable tool for ecological surveys. DNA barcoding has been instrumental in re-assessing the species diversity of regional insect faunas and there are early indications that it will similarly aid species inventories of vertebrate communities. DNA barcoding has been promoted as a potentially powerful method for the efficient, accurate and high throughput assignment of unknown specimens to known species. It has been tested in a number of animal taxa, including birds, fishes, and Lepidopteran insects. Reliable DNA barcodes would provide a practical, standardized, species-level identification tool for biodiversity assessment and ecological studies.
Background
There are almost 30000 fish species worldwide constituting about 50% of all vertebrate species. They are systematically very diverse, ranging from ancient jawless species (Agnatha) through to cartilaginous fishes and to old and modern bony fish. DNA-based identification methods are meanwhile as powerful tools, exhibiting an unprecedented accuracy because of their inherently highest possible resolution, which can reach even the level of single base changes in a whole genome. Bay of Bengal is one of the world’s richest marine biosphere and provides a very interesting heterogeneous group of fauna and flora. About 3600 species of fauna and flora have been identified from this region. Only limited research work was made on the biodiversity of ichthyofauna in Bay of Bengal. There are 104 coral species recorded and reefs are the most diversified and complex marine ecosystems and one of the greatest natural treasures. It is recently witnessed a rise in sensitivity towards protection of natural genetic resources and the environment at the international level. This is evident from the implementation of the convention on biodiversity. To conserve and optimize utilization of its bioresources, the conservation and management of aquatic resources is important for sustainable utilization of fisheries potential for the economic advancement of farmers and fishery workers, today as well as for posterity. In India, works on DNA based methods to identify the marine fishes is very scanty.
Logistics
In the present study, major fish landing centres will be selected in and around the Bay of Bengal for reef associated ichthyofaunal barcoding study. Reef associated ichthyofauna will be procured and collected from the selected markets and landing centres of Gulf of Mannnar and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some of the specimens will be collected in the field by eco-friendly manner by various fishing methods. To carry out the present research, I need the research grant in the below mentioned headings.Fellowship (3 JRF, 1 SRF, 2 RA and 2 field assistant) – Indian Rupees in lakhs 28.38; Chemicals and glasswares – INR in lakhs 11.25; Travel for sample collections – INR in lakhs 6.5; Contingency – INR in lakhs 6.0; Books and journals – INR in lakhs 3.0; Major and minor equipments like DNA Sequencer, Gradient Thermal Cycler work station, Gel doc system with monochrome CCD camera (whole electrophoresis setup), Dry bath with standard heating block, Variable volume microlitre pipette, Cooling centrifuge (10,000rpm) with digital timer, Deep freezer (-86 0C), Specimen storage facilities, workstation, UV Spectrophotometer, electrical balance and distillation assembly – INR in lakhs 40.0; Overhead charges to the University – INR in lakhs 19.02; Total cost of the project is – INR in lakhs 114.16