Evaluation of DNA barcoding reference databases for marine species in the western and central Pacific Ocean.

ABSTRACT: DNA barcoding is a widely used tool for species identification, with its reliability heavily dependent on reference databases. While the quality of these databases has long been debated, a critical knowledge gap remains in their comprehensive evaluation and comparison at regional scales. Marine metazoan species in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), a region characterized by high biodiversity and limited sequencing efforts, are an example of this gap. This study developed a systematic workflow to assess mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode coverage and sequence quality in two commonly used reference databases for DNA barcoding: the nucleotide reference database from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI); and from the Barcode of Life Data S

SUBMITTER: Zhou Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12269782 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature