01750nas a2200217   4500008004100000022004300041245006500084210006400149260018000213300001600393490000800409520088700417100001801304700001601322700001701338700001701355700002001372700001701392700001901409856010401428       2005                        eng d  a0962-8436 (Print); 0962-8436 (Linking)00aDefining operational taxonomic units using DNA barcode data.0 aDefining operational taxonomic units using DNA barcode data  aInstitute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK. mark.baxter@ed.ac.uk  a1935–19430 v3603 aThe scale of diversity of life on this planet is a significant challenge for any scientific programme hoping to produce a complete catalogue, whatever means is used. For DNA barcoding studies, this difficulty is compounded by the realization that any chosen barcode sequence is not the gene 'for' speciation and that taxa have evolutionary histories. How are we to disentangle the confounding effects of reticulate population genetic processes? Using the DNA barcode data from meiofaunal surveys, here we discuss the benefits of treating the taxa defined by barcodes without reference to their correspondence to 'species', and suggest that using this non-idealist approach facilitates access to taxon groups that are not accessible to other methods of enumeration and classification. Major issues remain, in particular the methodologies for taxon discrimination in DNA barcode data.1 aBlaxter, Mark1 aMann, Jenna1 aChapman, Tom1 aThomas, Fran1 aWhitton, Claire1 aFloyd, Robin1 aAbebe, Eyualem  uhttps://nematoda.myspecies.info/content/defining-operational-taxonomic-units-using-dna-barcode-data