DNA barcoding – A new device in phycologist's toolbox

Abstract Up to now only a fraction of all living organisms in the world has been identified. Organisms are identified using morphological characteristics, which is laborious and requires specialized knowledge. Barcoding DNA helps to solve the limitations of traditional species identification. The nucleotide sequence obtained using specific primers is presented in the form of a strip resembling a bar code which allows comparing and distinguishing species. The standard sequence used for the barcoding of almost all animal groups is derived from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene (Cox1). For fungi Cox1 and ITS (internal transcribed spacers) were proposed as barcodes. In contrast, the world of plants does not have a single standard sequence for identifying species. The ideal marker should consist of a highly variable region enabling species discrimination, and be flanked by highly conserved regions allowing universal primer design for the DNA barcodes standardization. This paper describes the markers used to identify eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms, their properties, advantages and disadvantages, and the proposed standard DNA barcodes. This work focuses on microalgae and macroalgae, which are of great ecological importance and are widely used in food, pharmaceutical or energy industries where they fast, correct and reliable identification is crucial.