DNA barcoding in the marine habitat: An overview

Major part of our planet includes the marine habitat which faces severe threat due to overexploitation of its bio resources. Assessment of biodiversity in the massive and diverse marine ecosystem is a challenging task. In this introductory chapter, we give a brief description of the marine habitat and types of marine organisms, followed by the concept of DNA barcoding. We also describe the applications and different initiatives of DNA barcoding in the marine ecosystem. A brief account of DNA barcoding in marine fungi, different groups of animals and plants is also elucidated. This chapter gives a bird’s eye view on the DNA barcoding in the marine perspective.