CMarZ - iBOL Barcoding Opportunity
Call for Proposals

This Call for Proposals has been closed.

DNA barcoding of 2000 marine holozooplankton

A new partnership between the Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ) and the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL, see http://www.ibolproject.org) will create DNA barcodes for 2,000 of marine holozooplankton species. CMarZ Steering Group and Network members may submit proposals that request determination of DNA barcodes from identified specimens by iBOL, with costs of the analysis paid by iBOL. Proposers must agree to the data ownership and release policies of iBOL (see below). Proposals will be evaluated and prioritized for funding based upon their relevance to the goals of CMarZ.


ibol logoWhat is iBOL?

The International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL) has one overarching goal - to assemble the sequence library and the technology necessary to identify organisms rapidly and inexpensively. iBOL has the primary mission of extending the geographic and taxonomic coverage of the barcode reference library, of protecting and analyzing the resultant barcode records and creating the new devices and protocols to ensure global access to this information. Within 5 years of activation, iBOL participants will have gathered DNA barcode records from 5M specimens, representing at least 500,000 species. This sequence library will enable a highly effective identification system for those eukaryote species that are regularly encountered by humanity, and will provide the foundation for a complete barcode reference library for eukaryotes.


What is the goal of the CMarZ – iBOL partnership?

The CMarZ – iBOL partnership will accelerate progress toward the CMarZ goal of determining DNA barcodes for the 7,000 described species of holozooplankton by 2010. iBOL will determine the sequence for the DNA barcode region of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) for identified specimens of marine holozooplankton. iBOL has standard protocols for marine crustaceans, mollusks, polychaetes, echinoderms, nematodes, and cnidarians.


iBOL requirements

Projects must meet the following iBOL requirements to be considered under this program:

  1. Species to be analyzed must be new to the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD);
  2. Specimens must be prepared for analysis following protocols provided by iBOL and collection metadata for each specimen must be provided at the time of submission;
  3. A maximum of 10 specimens per species may be analyzed;
  4. DNA sequences and associated metadata (collection site, voucher number, identifier, etc) must be uploaded to GenBank immediately upon determination. There are very limited exceptions to this policy to allow time for thesis, dissertation, or manuscript preparation.
  5. A high-quality image (photo voucher) of the specimen should be provided. Images of live organisms are preferred. Images should show diagnostic taxonomic characters to allow further taxonomic evaluation after the molecular analysis, which frequently consumes the entire specimen.


CMarZ priorities

Projects will be evaluated based on their relevance for the goals and objectives of CMarZ, especially the goal of a taxonomically-comprehensive global-scale assessment of holozooplankton diversity by 2010. In general, species from taxonomic groups with little or no existing barcode data are of particular interest. Projects to barcode specimens of particular sample sets or regional assemblages are also encouraged. Projects must conform to CMarZ sample and data policies, and project data must be submitted to the CMarZ Barcoding Association.


How to propose a CMarZ – iBOL partnership project

Proposals will be reviewed beginning September 15, 2009 and will be considered on a rolling basis until the iBOL limit is reached. A one-page description of the proposed project should include the following information:

Proposals should be sent to:

Ann Bucklin
Census of Marine Zooplankton

Department of Marine Sciences
University of Connecticut
1080 Shennecossett Road
Groton, CT 06340 USA
Tel. 860-405-9208; Fax 860-405-9153
Email: ann.bucklin@uconn.edu