In this episode of Discover Life in America, host Jamie Matzko interviews Paul Super, a research coordinator at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about the innovative use of DNA barcoding in biodiversity research. They discuss the historical context of research in the Smokies, the significance of environmental DNA, and the challenges of defining species. The conversation highlights the importance of protecting biodiversity and the advancements in DNA barcoding technology that aid in species identification. They also touch on the exploration of understudied taxa in the park, emphasizing the ongoing discoveries in this rich ecosystem. Recorded May 16, 2023

In closing our 25th Anniversary year of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI), Discover Life in America Podcast host, Jaimie Matzko, talks to Keith Langdon, retired GSMNP Supervisory Biologist, also known as the "Father of the ATBI" to find out what it like to start such an ambitious project.

The Smokies ATBI, a project that Discover Life in America manages in partnership with GSMNP, seeks to catalog the estimated 60,000-80,000 species of living organisms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A brainchild of renowned ecologist Dan Janzen, the first ATBI was supposed to take place in the rainforests of northwest Costa Rica.  Due to bureaucratic difficulties, however, the location was changed to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The idea behind an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) is simple.  If we want to be good stewards of our environment and keep the world around us healthy and vibrant, we need to understand the web of biodiversity.  The information we need—how many species live in an environment, what jobs these species do and how they interact with each other—is largely unknown.

Learn more at dlia.org.

For more details on our Smokies Most Wanted Initiative, visit us at dlia.org/smokiesmostwanted

Did you know that there are 19 species of fireflies in GSMNP? How do they determine when the peak will be for the synchronous firefly event in Elkmont so far ahead of time? How much do we actually know about fireflies? Tune in to learn more about fireflies in the Smokies.