The value of natural history collections to environmental barcoding and biomonitoring: Case studies from North America to Iraq

DNA barcoding technology promises to transform the science and practice of benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomy, bioassessment, and biomonitoring of water pollution in freshwater ecosystems.  The success of DNA barcoding campaigns such as the Trichoptera Barcode of Life (http://www.trichopterabol.org/) highlights the value of 100+ years of alpha-taxonomy and curation of aquatic insect specimens in North American natural history collections. The expertly-identified specimens contained in their cabinets, drawers, and vials are the foundation for DNA barcode reference libraries, which are used to assign species names to unidentified barcode clusters in environmental barcoding projects. In addition, natural history collections provide unique and invaluable opportunities to train international scholars from countries with developing fields of entomology and aquatic biology. This talk will use case studies to describe a new partnership among three organizations working to combine DNA barcoding, traditional alpha-taxonomy, and curatorial training to advance benthic science in North America and Iraq.