FishBase 2014: Matthias Geiger
Channel: Fishbase Sweden
Date: 19/12/2014

Mathias Geiger, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany, gave a lecture on "The FREDIE project – different lessons from a large scale DNA barcoding campaign".

Abstract: In my talk I will first give an overview about the aims and structure of the FREDIE project, and will then focus on findings and highlights from the freshwater fish diversity of the Western Palearctic. Special emphasize will be put on the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot, as one of the most important temperate biodiversity areas, with a remarkable diversity of freshwater fishes. Actually, 397 out of 526 species are recognized as endemic. In order to assess their diversity, and to construct a molecular identification system supporting conservation, we constructed a DNA barcode library for 498 Mediterranean freshwater fish species (98% extant species coverage) based on 3171 individuals. The congruence of clusters with morphological species ranged from 45 – 85% of species and was highly dependent on the method used to delineate clusters. Genetic discontinuities suggest the existence of up to 64 candidate species, potentially increasing fish diversity by less than 12%. Shared haplotypes among species highlight the limits of a barcoding approach, although mismatches tended to occur in recent (Pleistocene- or Holocene-evolved) lineages. We found reduced reliability of DNA barcoding to identify species unambiguously in a highly biogeographically structured area, but much greater accuracy when applied at the catchment scale. This scale effect has important implications for barcoding assessments, and our results suggest that fairly simple identification pipelines can be applied in local freshwater fish monitoring. Inventorying and management of large-scale diversity requires higher analytical and conceptual efforts. The barcoding of 98% of freshwater fish species of the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot represents a success story for biodiversity research in the geopolitically complex region. The database will enable the recognition of conservation units within the Hotspot and will strongly support the ongoing exploration of the global freshwater fish diversity.

FishBase is the world's largest encyclopedia of fish, freely available on the net. The Swedish office every year holds an annual public symposium on a current theme related to fish biology, fish systematics and fish ecology. FishBase Symposium 2014 was held in Stockholm, Monday 20th October, in the Main Auditorium of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and the theme was "Fishes and Genes". Molecular biology is increasingly a vital part of the study and management of fish, and seven invited experts gave talks different facets of Fishes and Genes.