Digital Identification Tools in Regulatory Science and Practice
Correct identification of potentially invasive organisms detected at the border, or which have already been introduced into a country, is critical to any biosecurity strategy. Taxonomic specialists have traditionally provided identification services. Unfo
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Digital Identification Tools in Regulatory Science and Practice G.A. Norton, T.W. Walters, J. LaForest, K. Walker, M. Taylor, S. Winterton, and G. Kong
12.1
Introduction
A quarantine officer’s ability to identify an intercepted organism and to determine whether it constitutes a quarantine risk remains a critical attribute of any plant biosecurity strategy. Figure 12.1 shows the points at which identification is critically important, including pre-border (as part of quarantine procedures) and post-border (as part of surveillance operations) (Norton 2005).
G.A. Norton (*) • M. Taylor Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia e-mail: [email protected] T.W. Walters Identification Technology Program, USDA/APHIS/PPQ-CPHST, Fort Collins, CO, USA J. LaForest Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, USA K. Walker Museum Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia S. Winterton California State Collection of Arthropods, California Department of Food & Agriculture, Sacramento, CA, USA G. Kong Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra, Australia G. Gordh and S. McKirdy (eds.), The Handbook of Plant Biosecurity, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7365-3_12, © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht (outside the USA) 2014
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Not in country
Deliberate Introduction
Accidental Introduction
Quarantine measures
Pre-Border
Entered country
Post-Border
Invasive species surveillance and management
Attempt eradication
Attempt to contain
Develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM)strategy
Fig. 12.1 Role of identification in plant biosecurity
12.1.1 Identification Based on Anatomical Features of the Organism For the past several hundred years, the identification of plants and animals has relied on the systematic description of visual, anatomical features/characters. More recently, modern molecular techniques provide novel and in some cases definitive ways of identifying organisms based on selected sections of DNA code (Sect. 13.1). In the future, visual identification techniques, will be used independently or in combination with molecular diagnostics, and remain important tools for plant biosecurity, pest management and biological research. Anyone wishing to identify an organism without access to an expert (such as a plant or insect taxonomist) must rely on some form of identification aid. Traditional identification aids match visual features of the specimen to be identified with a database of features associated with named organisms. One traditional identification aid (field guide) involves a gallery of pictures and descriptions that can be taken into the field to help the user identify a selection of plants or animals. These field guides and associated databases are often organised in easy-to-follow formats (such as shape, colour, or geographical location). Field guides can be very useful aids for identification, particularly when involving specimens where the number of likely species is li
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