Tag Archive for: DNA barcoding

HRSM project start on March 1st 2017

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With March 1st the HRSM (Hochschulraumstrukturmittel) project has been launched. The project is funded with 1 Million Euro by the Ministry of Science, Research and Economy and aims at developing DNA barcoding pipelines for ABOL at universities. Commendably, the University of Graz has taken the leadership. Project partners are the University of Vienna, the University of Salzburg, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, and the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna. Thus, we are able to announce that the overall ABOL project has successfully started before the end of the pilot phase. However, this does not mean we may rest on our laurels – many smaller and larger projects have to be initiated to reach our long-term target, the establishment of DNA barcodes for all animal, fungi as well as plant species of Austria that these eventually can be utilized for diverse applications. To reach this goal we need the cooperation of all experts and institutions who address biodiversity!

Read more (in German)…

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Butterflies: leading role in ABOL extended

Dear ABOL community,

it is about time, to announce many new projects which have been launched recently!

In butterflies, the showcase group of ABOL, four new projects have been initiated. Two of them, “Butterflies of Vorarlberg” and “Nocturnal butterflies of the Koblacher Ried” address the lepidopteran fauna of the most western Austrian province, Vorarlberg. Both projects are funded by inatura, together with the project “Plecoptera and Trichoptera of Vorarlberg“.

Furthermore we could convince the private foundation of REWE “Blühendes Österreich” to support DNA barcoding of “Butterflies from Austria“.

Last but not least, DNA barcodes of butterflies of Lower Austria are generated focusing on Noctuidea. The project “NOENO – Noctuoidea of Lower Austria” is funded by the Niederösterreichische Landessammlungen and Ökoplus.

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ABOL meeting Linz 2016

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Dear ABOL community,

this year again our ABOL meeting took place at the Schlossmuseum Linz – we would like to thank the people from the Upper Austrian State Museums for hosting! We are very happy, that so many of you joined the meeting. A special thank to all the speakers for the interesting talks concerning this year’s main topic “Applied aspects of DNA barcoding”. The talks provided a comprehensive overview of the power of DNA barcoding and stimulated lively discussions.
We hope, that the meeting was interesting and successful for all participants and provided sufficient space for conversations and networking.
Please find some impressions in our picture gallery (photo credits by F. Gusenleitner, H. Sattmann, M. Sonnleitner)

Best wishes,
your ABOL team

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Major study on species delimitation in Lepidoptera via DNA barcodes

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A fascinating recent publication deals with the potential of species delimitation in Lepidoptera via CO1. An international cooperation, with the participation of experts from the Tyrolean State Museums, could show that DNA barcoding is an efficient approach to determine the vast majority of European Lepidoptera.

Every determination is eased by reciprocal monophyly between species. In the absence of the latter experts are in demand to find possible explanations. The publication gives a nice overview on possible reasons for observed para- and polyphyly between species.

Reference:

Mutanen, M. et al. (2016). Species-Level Para- and Polyphyly in DNA Barcode Gene Trees: Strong Operational Bias in European Lepidoptera. Systematic Biology, 65(6), 1024–1040.

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Increase of international comparability by DNA-Barcoding

As representatives of a DNA-Barcoding-Initiative in Austria we are often asked for the value of barcoding Austrian individuals in species where DNA-Barcodes from other countries are available. The best answer is given by two papers on moths, recently published by the team around Peter Huemer at the Tiroler Landesmuseum. Some species of leafroller-moths were always regarded to have a holarctic distribution. The enhanced international comparability due to DNA-barcoding allowed experts to reveal them to be species-complexes. With Ancylis christiandiana Huemer & Wiesmair, 2016 one species could be described as new to science, based on individuals from Austria. The same is true for a species of fairy longhorn moths which was found to be a complex of 3 species. Of these, Nemophora scopolii Kozlov, Mutanen, Lee & Huemer, 2016, was likewise described from Austria.

ancylis_christiandiana02_tlm_eckelt_kleinReferences:

Gilligan, T., Huemer, P., & Wiesmair, B. (2016). Different continents, same species? Resolving the taxonomy of some Holarctic Ancylis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). Zootaxa, 4178(3), 347–370.

Kozlov, M. V., Mutanen, M., Lee, K. M., & Huemer, P. (2016). Cryptic diversity in the long-horn moth Nemophora degeerella (Lepidoptera: Adelidae) revealed by morphology, DNA barcodes and genome-wide ddRAD-seq data. Systematic Entomology

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Pushing the borders in our biodiversity assessment – the first associated projects on plants

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Dear supporters of ABOL!

Complementing our current projects on fungi and animals we are happy to announce the start of two associated projects on DNA-barcoding in plants.

A project at the University of Salzburg, headed by Andreas Tribsch, generates DNA barcodes in spring gentians, a morphologically challenging group. DNA barcodes will allow to identify juvenile plants and hybrids in mixed populations (read more…).
A second project aims to characterise plants via DNA barcoding, focussing on groups prone to undetected, cryptic invasions. The Uni-Docs-project will be carried out by Clemens Pachschwöll at the University of Vienna (read more …).

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Große Wollbiene (Anthidium manicatum)N. Szucsich

New associated projects dealing with wild bees

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Dear biodiversity community,

Wild bees enjoy increasing awareness in general public, due to several campaigns in the recent past. Austria is known as a biodiversity hotspot of wild bees and many species are especially worthy of protection because of their narrow food spectrum and/or restricted distribution area.

Therefore we are pleased to announce two new associated projects dealing with DNA barcoding of wild bees, which started in the past few weeks.

Read more:
DNA barcoding of selected wild bees
DNA barcoding of wild bees of Vienna

Your ABOL team

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Italienische Schönschrecke (Calliptamus italicus)

Associated project Orthoptera

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Recently a new associated project joined ABOL – DNA barcoding of Central European Orthopterans

A first transnational cooperation between GBOL, SwissBOL and ABOL adresses the genetic diversity of many species of Central European grasshoppers. The project funded by the Verein der Freunde des Naturhistorischen Museums will be extended by further national projects.

Read more…

 

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Austrian Caddisflies

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Just before the end of the old year fortunately a new associated project joined the steadily growing ABOL community.

The project of Dr. Wolfram Graf and colleagues aims at recording of the genetic diversity of the Austrian caddisfly fauna comprising some 310 species. Caddisflies, especially their larval stage, are important bioindicators in freshwater ecology.
Read more…

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New associated project – Aphidinae (plant louse)

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It is a plesure to welcome a new associated project!

Manfred Hartbauer, Doris Reineke and Liza Nemes investigate collective defence mechanisms in non-myrmecophilous aphid species by means of various playback experiments and analysis of alarm pheromones. Additionally. the evolution of collective physical defence will be reconstructed in a phylogenetic approach encompassing different species of the subfamily of Aphidinae.

Read more…

 

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