Part 4: Strengths, Challenges, and Integrative Role

 Strengths:

• High accuracy and reproducibility

• Works on tiny or degraded samples

• Essential for cryptic and rare species

• Universally applicable (from microbes to mammals)

Challenges:

• Requires lab infrastructure and funding

• Database errors or missing sequences can affect results

• Contamination risks during DNA handling

Integrative Taxonomy:

Modern taxonomy doesn’t discard the classical; instead, it merges molecular and morphological data. This is called integrative taxonomy — the future of accurate species delimitation.

"When the eye of the taxonomist joins hands with the genome, species speak their true name."