A unique project is underway at York University. Researchers plan to obtain a “DNA barcode” of close to 20,000 bee species.

DNA barcoding is a technique that originated five years ago at the University of Guelph. It uses a small sequence of a species’ DNA to identify and differentiate it from other species. This technique, currently in use at Guelph University, employs part of a mitochondrial gene as the coding region. The specific gene can be obtained from live specimens or certain museum specimens. Guelph researcher Mehrdad Hajibabaei and integrative biology professor Paul Hebert, along with researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the University of Pennsylvania, were the pioneers of this research.

To date, scientists have identified 19,231 known species of bees, with between 1,500 and 2,000 already barcoded. In addition, approximately 521 different species of moths and butterflies in Costa Rica have been identified.

There are several reasons why this practice is beneficial. Arguably its greatest value is providing scientists with the ability to track endangered species. Bees also serve an enormous function in the food chain.

“About one-third of the food we eat has been pollinated either directly or indirectly by bees,” said Dr. Laurence Packer, a professor of biology and environmental studies at York University. “Even if you only ate beef, cattle often forage alfalfa in the winter, and alfalfa is pollinated by bees.”

A major obstacle concerns taking the project to a global scale. The process of collecting samples in war-torn areas such as Central Africa and Afghanistan is difficult, and the insects themselves are often tough to capture.

“Many species are known only from their male or female specimens, and until we see them mating, we won’t know for sure if they are the same species. Also, some species appear identical but have different DNA,” said Packer. “So there is a fair bit of chaos. We’re looking to create some real order.”

This research is also of concern in the context of declining honeybee populations in North America.

According to the Apiary Inspectors of America, the total loss of the insects among 384 beekeeping operations surveyed between September 2006 and May 2007 was 31.8 per cent, with 51.9 per cent reporting unusually significant losses. The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association reported that almost 27,000 of the 76,000 hives in Ontario were killed in 2006. Many of the remaining colonies were badly weakened.

Studies have been done to confirm the benefits of bee barcoding. According to Hebert, species-level identification is definitely possible with DNA barcoding, proving that categorization can go beyond simply naming genus or family.

In addition, he claims that in about 20 years, DNA bar-coding will be able to archive 10 million of the planet’s animal species. Only 1.2 million have been identified as of yet.