DNA Barcoding : a new method of wildlife trade investigation

[Guest guest]

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DNA barcodes, a new tool for tracking illegal wildlife trade

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Sep 10, 2009 03:52 PM

 

*

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=dna-barcode\

s-a-new-tool-for-trackin-2009-09-10

*<http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=dna-barco\

des-a-new-tool-for-trackin-2009-09-10>

 

By *John

Platt*<http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-extinction/index.cfm?aut\

hor=1860>in

*60-Second Extinction

Countdown*<http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-extinction>

 

 

 

The illegal trade of

*bushmeat*<http://www.cites.org/eng/prog/bushmeat.shtml>—meat

and products made from wildlife—has grown dramatically in the past several

years, thanks to high demand, enormous profits, a lack of law enforcement

and minimal sentencing for criminals caught trafficking in bushmeat. The

worldwide market for these illegal products reached an estimated $5 billion

to $8 billion in 2008.

 

One of the major challenges in combating the bushmeat trade is identifying

the source species for the meat and products. Once an animal has been carved

up, meat looks like meat and leather looks like leather. How is anyone to

know if it came from a species that is protected under national or

international law?

 

A technique called *DNA

barcoding*<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bar-code-of-life>cou\

ld

be the answer. According to

*a paper

published*<http://www.springerlink.com/content/b247325p747r7g5j/fulltext.html>in

the September 1 online edition of the journal

*Conservation Genetics*, DNA barcodes can be used to quickly and clearly

distinguish the source species of meat or leather goods for many rare and

threatened species.

 

How would it be employed? Rather than work up a complete genetic profile of

organic matter, the authors used DNA barcoding to look at a short region of

the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene. The DNA would

then be identified in a lab at a low cost, since only the COX1 gene would

need to be processed.

 

The researchers didn't actually examine any endangered species, but they did

sequence the barcode region of 25 commonly traded mammals and reptiles, many

of which are embargoed from international trade by the *Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora*<http://www.cites.org/>(CITES).

 

" The species in our study are among the most commercially harvested species

in South America and Africa, " lead author *Mitchell

Eaton*<http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~eaton/index.html>said in a

prepared statement. " They are often partially prepared by the time

they get to urban markets, which can make the species identification

impossible. " Eaton led the research as part of his doctoral research at the

University of Colorado.

 

The species examined came from South America and Africa, and included

duikers, spiral-horned antelope, red river hogs, old world monkeys,

alligators and crocodiles. The DNA sequences generated from this study will

be added to the Barcode of Life Data Systems, an online, open-access

database of barcodes.

 

Even though many of the samples they tested had degraded through the

leather-making process or due to age, the researchers found they were still

able to extract the COX1 sequence in most cases. In their paper, the authors

conclude that with minimal effort and simple refinements to existing DNA

extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols, " accurate barcode

sequence data can be obtained from most wildlife products encountered in

bushmeat monitoring programs and wildlife investigations. "

 

" There is consensus on using the same fragment of DNA, COX1, to construct a

library of life, " said co-author George Amato, director of the Sackler

Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural

History, in a prepared statement. " This is an example of where new genetic

technology can be transformative to society, by using barcodes to catalog

the diversity of ecosystems, to monitor invasive species, to search for

pathogens in the food supply, and to observe wildlife trafficking for the

pet trade and other commercial markets. "

 

This isn't the first time that DNA has been used to help identify wildlife

products seized from illegal traders. Last year, Samuel Wasser of the Center

for Conservation Biology introduced a *genetic method to trace the origin of

poached ivory* <http://depts.washington.edu/conserv/Ivory%20Trax.html>.

Earlier this year, research published in the Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences recommended a set of standards for the DNA *barcoding of

plants* <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090727191735.htm>.