DNA Sequencing Technologies and DNA Barcoding

DNA barcodes are short, standardized DNA segments that geneticists can use to identify all living taxa. On the other hand, DNA barcoding identifies species by analyzing these specific regions against a DNA barcode reference library. In its initial years, DNA barcodes sequenced by Sanger’s method were extensively used by taxonomists for the characterization and identification of species. But in recent years, DNA barcoding by next-generation sequencing (NGS) has found broader applications, such as quality control, biomonitoring of protected species, and biodiversity assessment. Technological advancements have also paved the way to metabarcoding, which has enabled massive parallel sequ.encing of complex bulk samples using high-throughput sequencing techniques. In future, DNA barcoding along with high-throughput techniques will show stupendous progress in taxonomic classification with reference to available sequence data.