Part 3: Techniques and Workflow

Molecular taxonomy involves a standardized but powerful workflow:

Step-by-Step:

1. Sample Collection – Tissue, leaf, insect leg, etc.

2. DNA Extraction – Breaking open cells to release genetic material

3. PCR Amplification – Using primers to replicate marker genes

4. Sequencing – Reading the nucleotide order (Sanger or NGS)

5. Sequence Alignment – Comparing new sequences to existing ones

6. Identification – Using tools like BLAST or BOLD

7. Tree Construction – Optional: build phylogenies to visualize relationships

This entire process has been made faster and more accurate with bioinformatics tools, forming the bridge to in silico taxonomy.