About tardigradebarcoding.org

The phylum Tardigrada has been expanded by several new taxa and increased to more than 960 species. They are subdivided into 2 classes (Eutardigrada and Heterotardigrada), 4 orders, 21 families, 105 genera and 959 species, but the number of described species increases considerably  year on year (Guidetti & Bertolani, 2005). They can be found in a diversity of extreme habitats including marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems ranging from the deep sea to the highest mountains. Despite their overall abundance tardigrades have received little attention over the last 200 years. Tardigrades or “Water bears” were first described by J.A.E. Goeze in 1773. The name tardigrade refers to the  way the animal moves  (lat. tardi-slow, grado-walker) and was given to them in the 18th century by Lazzaro Spallanzani, who also carried out important studies on their “resurrection” (cryptobiosis).

Tardigrades show extraordinary tolerances to  a range of  physical extremes including high and subzero temperatures (Hengherr et al., 2009; Ramløv, 2000; Ramlov & Westh, 1992; Sømme & Meier, 1995), ionizing radiation (Horikawa et al., 2006; Jönsson et al., 2008; Jönsson & Schill, 2007), and high pressure (Seki & Toyoshima, 1998). Possessing the ability to enter an ametabolic state at any developmental stage (Schill & Fritz, 2008), tardigrades are capable of surviving for a very long time and extend their lifespan significantly (Bertolani et al., 2004; Hengherr et al., 2008). Hence, their tolerances are of great interest for several fields of research and applied technologies (Schill et al. 2009).

The Tardigrade Barcoding Database (TBD; see 'Database' button) is the prime access point for DNA signature sequences together with information on conventional morphological taxonomic characters of tardigrades. This unique combination of tardigrade-specific conventional taxonomic information and their allied DNA signature sequences is crucial for research  on tardigrades and  distinguishes this database from most others.

In  recent decades molecular methods for species identification have become more important (Jørgensen & Kristensen, 2004; Guidetti et al., 2005; Jørgensen et al., 2007; Sands et al., 2008a; Sands et al., 2008b; Guidetti et al., 2009). As  awareness of the great diversity of organisms has improved, it has became obvious that traditional approaches alone cannot comprehensively describe biological diversity on earth. This is particularly true for  the  smaller body size taxa (micro- and meiofauna), which suffer from a real  deficiency in taxonomy. Obtaining DNA-signature sequences from all taxa will provide a platform from which more extensive sampling and population studies can be directed. Fresh material of such taxa will be collected by individual groups involved in the TBP and will be taxonomically identified by an expert before sequencing.

Tardigrade barcodes provide a set of indispensible tools for the identification of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial tardigrade species, and will greatly aid taxonomists and ecologists. It will also enhance understanding on the evolution, ecology, life-history and extraordinary tolerance of physical extremes for these animals.



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26 species barcoded

2 workgroups participating

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