Global arthropod beta-diversity is spatially and temporally structured by latitude.

Global biodiversity gradients are generally expected to reflect greater species replacement closer to the equator. However, empirical validation of global biodiversity gradients largely relies on vertebrates, plants, and other less diverse taxa. Here we assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of global arthropod biodiversity dynamics using a beta-diversity framework.

Biogeography and Genetic Diversity of Terrestrial Mites in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica.

Free-living terrestrial mites (Acari) have persisted through numerous glacial cycles in Antarctica. Very little is known, however, of their genetic diversity and distribution, particularly within the Ross Sea region. To redress this gap, we sampled mites throughout the Ross Sea region, East Antarctica, including Victoria Land and the Queen Maud Mountains (QMM), covering a latitudinal range of 72-85 °S, as well as Lauft Island near Mt.

Unearthing soil arthropod diversity through DNA metabarcoding.

DNA metabarcoding has the potential to greatly advance understanding of soil biodiversity, but this approach has seen limited application for the most abundant and species-rich group of soil fauna-the arthropods. This study begins to address this gap by comparing information on species composition recovered from metabarcoding two types of bulk samples (specimens, soil) from a temperate zone site and from bulk soil samples collected at eight sites in the Arctic. Analysis of 22 samples (3 specimen, 19 soil) revealed 410 arthropod OTUs belonging to 112 families, 25 orders, and nine classes.

DNA barcodes enable higher taxonomic assignments in the Acari.

Although mites (Acari) are abundant in many terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, their diversity is poorly understood. Since most mite species can be distinguished by variation in the DNA barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase I, the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system provides a reliable species proxy that facilitates large-scale surveys. Such analysis reveals many new BINs that can only be identified as Acari until they are examined by a taxonomic specialist.

A reference library for Canadian invertebrates with 1.5 million barcodes, voucher specimens, and DNA samples.

The reliable taxonomic identification of organisms through DNA sequence data requires a well parameterized library of curated reference sequences. However, it is estimated that just 15% of described animal species are represented in public sequence repositories. To begin to address this deficiency, we provide DNA barcodes for 1,500,003 animal specimens collected from 23 terrestrial and aquatic ecozones at sites across Canada, a nation that comprises 7% of the planet's land surface.

DNA barcodes expose unexpected diversity in Canadian mites.

Mites (Arachnida: Acariformes, Parasitiformes) are the most abundant and species-rich group of arthropods in soil, but are also diverse in freshwater habitats, on plants, and as symbionts of larger animals. However, assessment of their diversity has been impeded by their small size and often cryptic morphology. As a consequence, published estimates of their species richness span more than two orders of magnitude (0.

Acari of Canada.

Summaries of taxonomic knowledge are provided for all acarine groups in Canada, accompanied by references to relevant publications, changes in classification at the family level since 1979, and notes on biology relevant to estimating their diversity. Nearly 3000 described species from 269 families are recorded in the country, representing a 56% increase from the 1917 species reported by Lindquist et al. (1979).

Improved protocols to accelerate the assembly of DNA barcode reference libraries for freshwater zooplankton.

Currently, freshwater zooplankton sampling and identification methodologies have remained virtually unchanged since they were first established in the beginning of the XX century. One major contributing factor to this slow progress is the limited success of modern genetic methodologies, such as DNA barcoding, in several of the main groups. This study demonstrates improved protocols which enable the rapid assessment of most animal taxa inhabiting any freshwater system by combining the use of light traps, careful fixation at low temperatures using ethanol, and zooplankton-specific primers.

Biodiversity inventories in high gear: DNA barcoding facilitates a rapid biotic survey of a temperate nature reserve.

Background: Comprehensive biotic surveys, or 'all taxon biodiversity inventories' (ATBI), have traditionally been limited in scale or scope due to the complications surrounding specimen sorting and species identification. To circumvent these issues, several ATBI projects have successfully integrated DNA barcoding into their identification procedures and witnessed acceleration in their surveys and subsequent increase in project scope and scale. The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario partnered with the rare Charitable Research Reserve and delegates of the 6th International Barcode of Life Conference to complete its own rapid, barcode-assisted ATBI of an established land trust in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

Correction: Patterns of Protein Evolution in Cytochrome c Oxidase 1 (COI) from the Class Arachnida.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Patterns of Protein Evolution in Cytochrome c Oxidase 1 (COI) from the Class Arachnida.

Because sequence information is now available for the 648bp barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) from more than 400,000 animal species, this gene segment can be used to probe patterns of mitochondrial evolution. The present study examines levels of amino acid substitution and the frequency of indels in COI from 4177 species of arachnids, including representatives from all 16 orders and 43% of its families (267/625). It examines divergences at three taxonomic levels-among members of each order to an outgroup, among families in each order and among BINs, a species proxy, in each family.

Revealing the hyperdiverse mite fauna of subarctic Canada through DNA barcoding.

Although mites are one of the most abundant and diverse groups of arthropods, they are rarely targeted for detailed biodiversity surveys due to taxonomic constraints. We address this gap through DNA barcoding, evaluating acarine diversity at Churchill, Manitoba, a site on the tundra-taiga transition. Barcode analysis of 6279 specimens revealed nearly 900 presumptive species of mites with high species turnover between substrates and between forested and non-forested sites.