- Collection of samples
You select and specify the samples provided to BopCo as explained in Samples. Make sure that were needed you have permission to take samples from private property, parks, or nature preserves. Also, do not collect specimens that may be threatened or endangered. Do not collect more than needed, only a small amount of tissue is needed for DNA extraction.
Additionally you should photograph the entire organism samples and the surroundings. Note you exact location as detailed as possible, this is important for reporting.
Collect tissue with scissors or tweezers into a plastic bad or a BopCo provided tube and freeze the samples as soon as possible.
- DNA Extraction
For the extraction of DNA out of your samples BopCo uses the standard protocol from the Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit.
This process can take up to one day, for more infromation on the protocol we refer to the manufacturer (Qiagent).
- DNA Amplification by PCR
In this step a selected region of the DNA is amplified. Amplification or gene duplication means multiple copies of a selected region are produced. For barcoding of animal species the COI region is always chosen. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technology in molecular biology to artificially amplify DNA regions.
- Sequencing PCR result
- Blast the sequence in BOLD