ABOL – ABOL – The Austrian Barcode of Life

TdA Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald - Vienna-Liesing

Thanks to the Biodiversity Fund projects ABOL-RefDat and GeMonA+, our ABOL team at the Natural History Museum Vienna grew at the beginning of 2024 and the first BioBlitzes were a good opportunity to support data collection and networking in the biodiversity community.

This year’s Day of Biodiversity of the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald took place in Vienna-Liesing, at the same time part of the ABOL team traveled to the ÖEG insect camp in the Karwendel Nature Reserve.

On the occasion of the City Nature Challenge, an excursion to the Vienna-Liesing study area around Himmelswiese started at the end of April. Some species were already recorded there and on the Days of Biodiversity on June 8th and 9th this list of species was further expanded. In ideal weather conditions, which only made catching insects difficult due to occasional gusts of wind, we went along forest paths and extensive meadows to different types of water. The bright expert T-shirts meant that we kept meeting interested visitors or experts from other species groups, which led to nice conversations.

At the Biodiversity Festival, we shared an information stand with the Mycological Society, which was packed thanks to the favorable mushroom weather beforehand!

The Day of Biodiversity came to a cozy end at a nearby wine tavern, to which all experts were invited. A big thank you to the organizing team, as always it was a great experience that ran smoothly!

Impressions (photos: M. Sonnleitner)

16. July, 2024/by Michaela Sonnleitner

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ABOL PARTNERS IN GRAZ!

Highlights

With their many ABOL activities, the Graz partners have achieved
2^nd place in this year’s Silberdistel (Styria’s Biodiversity Prize)!
https://www.silberdistel.at/preistraeger-2024/ (in GERMAN only)

We are delighted and congratulate you!

10. July, 2024/by Michaela Sonnleitner

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - group photo

M. Sonnleitner

DNA barcoding workshop at the University of Zambia 2.0

Highlights, Meetings, Projects, Veranstaltungen, Workshops

Due to last year’s great success, the 2^nd DNA barcoding workshop took place in September at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in the capital Lusaka.
As part of the OeAD project “Inventorying biodiversity in the tropics: Establishing a DNA-barcoding pipeline for characterizing and monitoring Zambia’s biodiversity” led by the University of Graz (Stephan Koblmüller and Lukas Zangl) and participation by ABOL and Prof. Cyprian Katongo (UNZA ) students and staff of UNZA were trained in all the necessary steps to create DNA barcodes. The workshop began with a series of lectures on various aspects of DNA barcoding as a standard approach to recording biodiversity, its possible applications in monitoring, the challenges of a national biodiversity initiatives and opportunities for students and doctoral candidates to conduct research in Austria. The remaining workshop days covered the entire process of creating DNA barcode references – from sampling to data analysis. The DNA barcodes generated from fish and dragonflies are intended to serve as a crystallization point around which a national initiative in Zambia can be formed. Using the dragonflies, the participants were also introduced to the preparation and identification of insects. Laboratory work with DNA extraction and PCR, as well as the processing and evaluation of sequence data, were particularly popular. Overall, the workshop was once again a great success with around 30 participants.

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - Prof. Katongo (UNZA)

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - data analysis

Fish from the Kafue river for DNA barcoding

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - lecture series: Dr. Koblmüller

Preparation and determination of dragonflies for DNA barcoding

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - lab work

Collecting dragonflies at the university lake, UNZA

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - collecting dragonflies & damselflies at the Goma lakes, UNZA

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - collecting dragonflies at the Kafue river

Collecting dragonflies at the Kafue river

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - lecture series: Dr. Semani

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - collecting trip to the Kafue river

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - Prof. Katongo (UnNZA), Dr. Koblmüller (Univ. Graz)

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - tissue sample

DNA barcoding workshop at UNZA - lecture series: Dr. Zangl

19. October, 2023/by Michaela Sonnleitner

M. Sonnleitner

ABOL at the Long Night of Museums

Highlights, Meetings

Last Saturday (October 7th), ABOL was represented together with the Central Research Laboratories at the Long Night of Museums in the Natural History Museum Vienna. Visitors were able to find out more about ABOL, DNA barcoding and DNA-based research in general from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. In the mobile lab, DNA was extracted from tomatoes using simple tools and the DNA could be admired with fascination as a light-colored sediment in the sample tube. We explained the basics and applications of DNA barcoding and what the ABOL initiative does. The prepared dragonflies received particular attention as an example of how insects are preserved in the museum. Some of the visitors were amazed that there are 78 different species of dragonflies in Austria. Exuviae of dragonflies could be viewed under the stereo magnifier, which was also very popular. So the long night was very entertaining for us. We are pleased about the great interest and the many interesting conversations that developed. With 16,000 visitors, the event was a huge success for the NHM.

15. October, 2023/by Michaela Sonnleitner

ABOL BioBlitz in the National park Hohe Tauern

ABOL BioBlitz, Highlights, Meetings, Veranstaltungen

This year’s ABOL BioBlitz series was completed with the Day of Biodiversity in the Hohe Tauern National Park on the Deferegger sunny side in East Tyrol. As in previous years, the weather this weekend was rather bad. At least this year we had some sunny windows in which flying insects, especially bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies could be observed. The first evening was already dedicated to the light traps – nocturnal insects were attracted and mapped with light traps on the banks of the Schwarzach river and in the alpine area at Speikboden. Saturday was devoted entirely to searching for species in the study areas above St. Veit and St. Jakob, up to high alpine locations. In the evening, nets for catching bats were set up around the House of Water of the National Park, which served as a base, with which, together with echolocation, 5 species of bats could be detected. At the final event on Sunday, the first results and provisional species numbers were presented. Thanks to the voluntary and unpaid work of around 70 experts, the data situation in this area, which had been rather sparse until then, was significantly improved. We hope to get some more samples for the creation of DNA barcodes and to successfully complete the ABOL-BioBlitz collecting season.
We would like to thank the national park team for the perfect organization of accommodation, food and transport!

Impressions from the study area:

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Species rich meadow. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Light trap. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Welcome. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggental. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Insects on Apiaceae inflorescence. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. Myricaria germanica on the Schwarzach river. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

TdA NP Hohe Tauern, Defereggen valley. N. Szucsich at the closing event. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

2. August, 2023/by Michaela Sonnleitner

TdA Nockberge - Bärengrube. Photo: O. Macek

ABOL-BioBlitzes in Tyrol and the Carinthian Nockberge Mountains

ABOL BioBlitz, Highlights, Meetings

On July 7 and 8, the ABOL team was present at two simultaneous events: the Day of Biodiversity in Tyrol and the GEO-Day of Nature in Carinthia.

At the Day of Biodiversity in Tyrol, in Leutasch, four very different and exciting study areas were examined for their biodiversity. In a moor area with orchid-rich fens and an intact mountain pine high moor, night was turned into day with numerous light traps – at least for the nocturnal insects and their researchers. In addition, many fireflies, which are rarely observed in such high numbers today, lit our way. The numerous butterfly experts were also present high on the mountain in the direction of Arnkopf, at a species-rich meadow and an interesting gravel area. The beautiful weather on Saturday contributed to rich observations of various animal groups. The final event on Saturday afternoon was well attended and very informative and interesting with a very well-prepared photo presentation which was put together in a very short time. Experts from various fields contributed briefly, from the geology of the study area, a short introduction to iNaturalist to a poem about a moth (Baptria tibiale).

First results were presented, there was a lot to find on the four survey plots: 11 orchid species, about 200 different butterflies, including the rare dusky large blue (Phengaris nausithous), more than 50 bird species, including black grouse, golden eagle and tawny owl, some recordings on the bat-detector and sundew and moorland hawker in the moorland. As part of the post-processing, some more exciting species will surely be added to the species list. Also, the culinary art and the interaction among the experts wasn’t missed out, before we started the long journey home, which was definitively worth it! Many thanks to the organizing team!

The other part of the ABOL team took part in the GEO Day of Nature in the Nockberge. With the ‘Bärengrube’ (translated ‘bear-cave’) near Innerkrems we went this year to north-exposed sites of the biosphere reserve, with a diverse geology and soils, from dolomite to mica schist and numerous boggy areas. Not in every organism group the call for ‘bear’ associations could be served as elegantly as the botanical Lycopodium, a pun that loses its punch line in English. Not even the butterfly experts were successful due to the lack of Arctiinae sightings. The familiar atmosphere and the perfect weather led to the fact that nevertheless nobody was grieved. Moreover, the sightings of all three grouse species consoled even the melancholic about the absence of species like Contarinia baeri.

Our thanks go again to the organizers of E.C.O., the biosphere reserve team and the Ökoteam for the perfect organization and for opening the wide field of bear puns.

Impressions from Leutasch in Tyrol:

Impressions from the Nockberge:

20. July, 2023/by Michaela Sonnleitner

9th ABOL meeting 2022 – a retrospect

Highlights, Meetings

After 2 years of virtual conferences, we were very happy to be able to hold the ABOL annual conference physically again this year. On November 18^th the time had come. The 9^th ABOL conference took place in the Haus für Natur, Museum Niederösterreich, after the 5^th Austrian Biodiversity Forum. As usual, the lecture program was exciting and very broad in topics. The inspiring keynote lecture by Natasha de Vere from the University of Copenhagen on pollen metabarcoding was one of the morning highlights, followed by lectures on different applications of metabarcoding and eDNA barcoding. We were also very pleased to welcome Cyprian Katongo from the University of Zambia to the ABOL meeting and hear about planned DNA barcoding activities in Zambia. The focal points in the afternoon were the detection of disease vectors using DNA barcoding, but also various groups of organisms such as molluscs, butterflies, gentians and the impressive dung fungi. We would like to thank all the speakers for their exciting contributions and the participants for the lively discussions. Unfortunately, with around 55 participants, the conference was less well attended than the conferences before the pandemic.
Special thanks also go to the Museum Niederösterreich for the good cooperation and our sponsors Microsynth, Eppendorf and MDPI Diversity.

Impressions of the meeting (Photos: M. Sonnleitner):

Gruppenfoto ABOL 2022

Irmgard Greilhuber, Univ. Wien. ABOL 2022

Nikola Szucsich, ABOL manager, NHM. ABOL 2022

Bettina Thalinger, Univ. Innsbruck. ABOL 2022

Vid Svara, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. ABOL 2022

Cyprian Katongo, Univ. of Zambia. ABOL 2022

Natasha de Vere, Univ. Copenhagen. ABOL 2022.

Stephan Koblmüller, Univ. Graz. ABOL 2022

Elisabeth Haring, ABOL project leader, NHM Vienna. ABOL 2022

Andreas Tribsch, Univ. Salzburg. ABOL 2022

Christian Bräuchler, ABOL project leader, NHM Vienna. ABOL 2022

24. November, 2022/by Michaela Sonnleitner

DNA barcoding workshop - lab work. Photo: M. Sonnleitner

ABOL goes Zambia

Highlights, Workshops

DNA barcoding workshop at the University of Zambia

In early October, ABOL held a DNA barcoding workshop at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in Lusaka together with Prof. Cyprian Katongo. The workshop – as part of the OeAD cooperation development research project “DNA barcoding of Zambia’s biodiversity” (led by the University of Graz) – aimed to teach students and employees the method and applications of DNA barcoding. The workshop started with two keynote lectures by Prof. Christian Sturmbauer (Univ. Graz). This was followed by a series of lectures on various aspects of biodiversity and DNA barcoding, held by Stephan Koblmüller (Univ. Graz), Cyprian Katongo (UNZA), Nikola Szucsich and Michaela Sonnleitner (ABOL coordination). After the strenuous introduction, the sampling trip to the Kafue and Zambezi rivers was certainly a highlight for the approximately 30 participants. Equipped with nets, the participants tried to catch different species of dragonflies and damselflies, which was very successful after a short training phase. Odonata are good indicator organisms for the quality of water bodies and are therefore well suited for starting a biodiversity survey. Suitable identification literature is also available. In addition, fish specimens for sampling were provided by the Department of Fisheries. The next day, tissue samples were taken from the dragonflies and fish and the animals were dry mounted/prepared for storage. The DNA extraction was carried out in the laboratory of veterinary medicine under the guidance of Lukas Zangl (University of Graz, Universalmuseum Joanneum) and Stephan Koblmüller. The last two days were dedicated to data analysis and interpretation. The participants were able to edit sequence data provided by the course leaders, calculate phylogenetic trees, etc. The participants were enthusiastic and committed to the task until the very end. We hope that the workshop has contributed to establish DNA barcoding as an approach to investigate Zambia’s rich biodiversity.

Impressiones from the workshop:

14. November, 2022/by Michaela Sonnleitner

ABOL meeting: Call for Abstracts

Highlights, Meetings, Veranstaltungen

Dear ABOL Community

the joint registration page for the ABOL meeting and the Biodiversity Forum is now online.
Please register on the following page: -> Days of Biodiversity – Program & Registration

Abstracts for talks (15 min. + 5 min. discussion) and flash talks (5 min. + 3 min. discussion) can still be submitted for the ABOL meeting on November 30th. Please send your abstract by Nov. 7th by email to: abol@nhm-wien.ac.at. We look forward to your interesting talk!

Unfortunately we have to announce that the ABOL meeting will take place again this year as a pure ONLINE conference. The Covid-19 regulations do not allow a cozy get-together, so we did not consider it useful to hold a face-to-face conference. However, we are confident that the online meeting will also be successful thanks to your help!

ABOL conference website

The ABOL coordination team

25. October, 2021/by Michaela Sonnleitner

Sabine Schoder

ABOL BioBlitz at the Tyrolean Day of Biodiversity in the Nature Park Kaunergrat

ABOL BioBlitz, Citizen Science, Highlights

In Tyrol, ABOL was once again able to participate in the Day of Biodiversity with a BioBlitz Initiative. Selected areas in the Nature Park Kaunergrat were examined – from wet to dry, lean meadows to bog areas, boulder fields, alpine meadows and alpine grasslands. In addition to butterfly experts, who began their surveys with light traps on Friday evening, experts on beetles, grasshoppers, flies, hymenoptera, birds, mammals, plants and fungi took part in the event. On Saturday, the participants flocked to the various survey areas to compile as comprehensive a species list as possible by late afternoon. Finally, at 16h, an invitation was extended to the Experts’ Coffee in the Nature Park House “Gacher Blick”, where there was time to exchange ideas and to let the Day of Biodiversity come to a pleasant end. A final presentation of the results will take place this year for the first time in autumn – probably partly online.

We would like to thank all participants of the ABOL BioBlitz! A big thank also goes to the organisers of the Day of Biodiversity, who managed with great spontaneity to move the planned event location from the Pfundser Tschey to the Kaunergrat Nature Park and still provide perfect catering and accommodation.

Impressions from the study area: (Photos: C. Leeb):