ABOL BioBlitz 2021
within the Days of Biodiversity
8 BioBlitzes
6 Days of Biodiversity, 2 test runs
Welcome
In 2020, ABOL will again participate with ABOL BioBlitz campaigns on the Days of Biodiversity (TdA). On this page we want to keep you informed. The contents are constantly updated.
Dear friends and biodiversity enthusiasts
The Days of Biodiversity (TdA), which take place in various federal states, have been among the most important events for years, on the one hand informing the public about the importance of biodiversity and, on the other hand, successively improving the data basis for the occurring species of various regions in Austria.
Last year, unfortunately, some of the events had to be canceled, but others could take place (see review!). For 2021 some Days of Biodiversity are planned and we are confident that they will take place.
ABOL will take part again this year. The aim of the ABOL BioBlitzes is to generate DNA barcode sequences from as many of the animals (and fungi) that are collected and determined by the experts as possible.
We hope that many of the experts will join the ABOL BioBlitz campaigns. With your taxonomic expertise you can make a valuable contribution to the genetic recording of Austrian biodiversity! A well-founded data basis is more important than ever to get the biodiversity crisis under control.
Your ABOL coordination team
What does ABOL offer the experts (and the organizers)?
This year ABOL can again provide some plates for sequencing. Of course we are careful to make the campaign as efficient as possible. Therefore we favour
(i) groups of organisms with a high chance of sequencing success,
(ii) groups of organisms where costs are calculable and low,
(iii) species of which there are no DNA barcodes from Austria, and
(iv) organisms in which the sampling effort is feasible
(v) organisms that have not (!) been sampled at previous BioBlitzes.
The focus will probably be on insects and fungi, but we do not exclude other groups of organisms – experts for other groups of organisms (plants, invertebrates away from insects, etc.) please be sure to contact the ABOL coordination team in advance.
In general, we would like to clarify the procedure in advance with you (e.g. labeling of the samples and the reference organism, photographing the reference organisms, deposit of the voucher copies, etc.)
!! NEW – Data Workshops !!
This year we offer online workshops on the International Barcode Platform BOLD for the first time. The course is open to everyone – inexperienced as well as advanced DNA barcoders learn and practice handling sequence data on BOLD, performing the analyzes themselves and understanding them better. This is how your own BioBlitz data should offer its secrets! If you are interested, please send an email to oliver.macek@nhm-wien.ac.at.
Further information can be found here:
Dates (continuously updated)
June, 11th & 12th - TdA Vienna - Donauinsel
Location: Donauinsel
June, 18th & 19th - TdA Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald
Location: Eichgraben
Organizer: Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald
July, 2nd & 3rd - Biosphere Reserve Nockberge
Zunderwand near Kaning, Radenthein
July, 9th & 10th - TdA Tyrol
Location: Municipality Pfunds, Tiroler Oberland
July, 16th - 18th - National Park Hohe Tauern
Location: Municipality Muhr in the Lungau/Salzburg
Information about the practical procedure
Experts who agree to participate will as usual
- collect their organism group
- determine the species
Unlike previous days of biodiversity, we ask you
- to sample tissue for DNA barcoding from interesting species – can also be done together (for example, a leg of an insect in a tube with the same numbering as specimen copy – it is important to be able to document which individual was sampled)
- to transfer the metadata to ABOL (location data, date, collector, determiner, etc.) – we will provide forms for download on individual dates
- to store the reference specimen in a publicly accessible, scientific collection (museum) for keeping traceability
Experts get from ABOL
- preservation liquid and sample tubes
- assistance with the sampling
- samples are prepared by the ABOL team and sent to Canada for sequencing (CCDB, http://ccdb.ca/) – shipping and sequencing costs are covered by ABOL
- the metadata will be integrated into the ABOL database by the ABOL team and
- transferred to the international DNA barcoding database BOLD (the data will be made public after publication of the results of the TdA in BOLD, at the latest however 2 years after the BioBlitz action = 2023)
That were ABOL BioBlitzes 2019 and 2020 – a review
2020
Due to the Covid19 pandemic, in 2020 a few Days of Biodiversity and the associated ABOL BioBlitzes were canceled or postponed. We are pleased that some events still able took place, albeit without a public part.
4 ABOL BioBlitzes
- Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald/Vienna
- Biosphere Reserve Nockberge, Carinthia
- National Park Hohe Tauern, East Tyrol
- Tyrol in autumn
The genetic analyses are currently ongoing. We will keep you informed!
2019
In 2019, the ABOL-BioBlitz format was launched in order to combine the taxonomic expertise of the participants on the Days of Biodiversity with the generation of DNA barcodes. In this way we were able to improve the data basis for Austria, at the same time strengthen the network of the biodiversity community and make DNA barcoding better known as an innovative method for species identification.
We can look back on successful ABOL BioBlitzes on 6 Days of Biodiversity & 2 additional test runs in 2019. Numerous experts followed the call and provided samples for the creation of DNA barcodes. Subsequently, Sabine Schoder, the ABOL BioBlitz coordinator, with the support of the ABOL coordination team, prepared the samples and sent them to the CCDB in Canada for sequencing. In addition, the associated metadata was collected and transmitted to BOLD, the international DNA database. The whole process took quite some time – but all ABOL BioBlitz samples have now been sequenced and the results entered in BOLD. There they can be viewed and edited by the participants – Oliver Macek has written a BOLD manual for this, which is -> available for download here.
ABOL-BioBlitz 2019 in numbers
Coordination & contact
The ABOL coordination team will participate in the Days of Biodiversity, depending on the possibility and with different cast, provide information on the project, etc. and be available for questions at any time. Sabine Schoder is the main contact person and first contact person for the ABOL BioBlitz campaigns, but the rest of the team is also available at all times. Please contact us if you have questions and / or want to join!
Sabine Schoder
NHM Vienna
sabine.schoder@nhm-wien.ac.at
Oliver Macek
NHM Vienna
oliver.macek@nhm-wien.ac.at
Christoph Leeb
NHM Vienna
christoph.leeb@nhm-wien.ac.at
Tel.-Nr. 01 523 7302 – 135
abol@nhm-wien.ac.at
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