Quick facts
Project title:
GBOL- German Barcode of Life
Unit:
Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm),
Chair Systematic Zoology,
Mammalogy,
Department Arthropoda,
Biobank,
Directorate,
Administration,
ZFMK International Graduate School,
Coleoptera,
Ichthyology,
Metabarcoding,
Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb),
Bat Banding Centre,
Biodiversity Informatics,
Arachnids,
Myriapoda,
Staff Council,
Diptera,
Hymenoptera,
Herpetology,
Ornithology Description
"German Barcode of Life" (GBOL) is a BMBF-funded project to build a genetic inventory of animals, plants and fungi of Germany based on DNA barcodes. DNA barcoding is a reliable, inexpensive method for potentially automated species identification.
Faced with ongoing species extinction and massive global change, the development of an efficient expert system for rapid species identification is an urgent task. Thereon depend important research and application areas, such as conservation, agriculture, forestry, ecology, medicine, pharmacy. This requires the development of a laboratory and IT infrastructure for creating barcode reference sequences in combination with photodocumented voucher specimens and biobank samples.
GBOL is creating this expert system through expanding structures that exist at German research museums and through building a network of professional taxonomists and experienced "citizen scientists" who participate in the necessary collection of specimens.
The ZFMK realizes coordination and PR for the network, develops the central website/database and expands the " barcode factory " for semi-automated throughput of bulk samples in the ZFMK lab. Within the GBOL subprojects, in Bonn, the thematic focus is on vertebrates, beetles, flies, spiders and a number of other invertebrates, as well as on application studies.
Location
