A Genomic Blueprint for the Description of Thousands of New Species

Despite some 260 years of taxonomic scrutiny, only a tiny fraction of the Earth's species have been scientifically named, rendering humans largely bio-illiterate. Taxonomic research progresses slowly because of the vast number of species and inefficiency of traditional approaches. Recent development in high-throughput DNA technologies enables recovery of organisms' genetic information with unprecedented efficiency. As all relevant information is encoded in DNA, the delimitation of species by their DNA may provide us with novel, efficient solutions. We investigate a brand-new approach using superdiverse gall midges as a model, of which we will scientifically describe ca 20000 new species. The diversity of gall midges is poorly understood because of their tiny size and enormous diversity. The new approach offers the promise that biodiversity research over the coming decades will be carried out much more efficiently than before, also enabling automated DNA-based identification of species.