Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Accelerated construction of a regional DNA-barcode reference library: caddisflies (Trichoptera) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A regional DNA-barcode reference library for caddisflies (Trichoptera) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) was successfully constructed using a combination of global and local sampling, achieving 91% coverage of the GSMNP fauna. The study leveraged nearly 1000 COI sequences from the global Trichoptera Barcode of Life campaign, supplemented by 645 sequences obtained during a 3-day bioblitz in GSMNP. This approach expedited library construction while maintaining high species differentiation accuracy (93%). The findings highlight the importance of integrating global barcoding projects with local surveys to capture rare or endemic species and ensure barcode quality, offering new insights into caddisfly biodiversity patterns and taxonomic revisions.