Barcode Library

Building the digital library of life on Earth

iBOL’s key scientific deliverable is the assembly of a DNA barcode reference library for at least 500K species by 2015. The barcode reference library - Barcode of Life Data Systems - currently contains records for almost 150,000 species derived from well over 1.5 million specimens.

Because a specimen can only be identified when sequences from its “parent” species are in the library, iBOL is dramatically increasing these totals, focusing on species that are endangered by human activity, that are of particular socio-economic importance or that are used in environmental assessment.

This research is being overseen by 10 Working Groups which are leading studies on the following specific taxonomic groups or ecological assemblages:

• WG 1.1 – Vertebrates
• WG 1.2 – Land Plants
• WG 1.3 – Fungi
• WG 1.4 – Animal Parasites, Pathogens & Vectors
• WG 1.5 – Agricultural and Forestry Pests and Their Parasitoids
• WG 1.6 – Pollinators
• WG 1.7 – Freshwater Bio-surveillance
• WG 1.8 – Marine Bio-Surveillance
• WG 1.9 – Terrestrial Bio-Surveillance
• WG 1.10 – Polar Life
• WG 1.11 – Barcoding Biotas