ABOL BioBlitz 2024
within the Days of Biodiversity
5 BioBlitzes
took place
Call for project collaboration!
We are very pleased that the ABOL project RefDat is starting this year! The project, funded by the Biodiversity Fund, aims to create DNA barcode reference data for animal, plant and fungal species and to close data gaps in Austria. A particular focus is on pollinators, soil and aquatic organisms.
We are still looking for project partners who can and want to participate here! If you would like to provide suitable, well-defined material (collection permit is mandatory!)
-> please contact us (abol@nhm-wien.ac.at)!
Welcome
In 2024, ABOL will again participate with ABOL BioBlitz campaigns on the Days of Biodiversity (TdA). On this page we want to inform you about it and encourage you to participate. The content is continuously updated.
Dear biodiversity enthusiasts
The Days of Biodiversity (TdA), which take place in various Austrian federal states, have been among the most important events for years, on the one hand in 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.
A whole series of TdAs are planned for 2024 and ABOL will participate 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 and and enter the data into the international DNA barcode of life database (BOLD).
Presumably, we will again contribute an ABOL BioBlitz at this years ÖEG Insect Camp. The annual insect camp serves to promote entomological research and taxonomy. Young scientists meet with experts to collect and identify insects and arachnids. In 2022 and 2023 ABOL took part already and generated DNA barcodes from collected animals and carried out a metabarcoding approach using a malaise trap (blog article ->HERE and HERE).
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 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 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.).
Dates (continuously updated)
June 7 & 8 - TdA Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald
Location: Vienna – Liesing
July 5 & 6 - Tda Tyrol - cancelled
July 5 & 6 - GEO day Carinthia
Location: Geo park Karawanken, South Carinthia
registration until 15.05.2024
July 12 & 13 - Biosphere Reserve Nockberge
Location: around lake Windebensee (at the Nockalm road)
August 2-4 - National park Hohe Tauern
Location: Habachtal, Salzburg
Registration until 30.04.2024
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 alcohol with the same numbering as the specimen copy – it is of crucial importance to document which specimen has been 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
- to provide a photo of the specimen (is required for BOLD)
Experts get from ABOL
- preservation liquid (alcohol 95%) and sample tubes
- assistance with 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)
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. Vivi (Viktoria Kargl) replaces Sabine Schoder as BioBlitz coordinator this year. Vivi is the main person responsible and the first contact person for the ABOL BioBlitz campaigns, but the rest of the team is also available at any time. Please contact us if you have any questions and/or want to participate!
Victoria Kargl
NHM Vienna
victoria.kargl@nhm-wien.ac.at
Tel.-Nr. 01 523 7302 – 135
abol@nhm-wien.ac.at
ABOL BioBlitzes are listet at the Österreich forscht Platform.
That were the ABOL BioBlitzes from 2019 to 2022 – a review
2023
in addition to 5 days of biodiversity, we again performed an ABOL BioBlitz at the insect camp. The creation of the DNA barcodes is currently still in progress. We would like to thank all organizers and everyone who provided samples!
6 ABOL BioBlitzes
- Vienna – Garden plot, Kagran
- Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald – Klosterneuburg
- Insect camp – Nature reserve Weißbach at Lofer, Salzburg
- Biosphere Reserve Nockberge – Innerkrems
- Tyrol – Leutasch
- National Park Hohe Tauern – Defereggen valley, East Tyrol
2022
After two years of pandemic 2022 the Days of Biodiversity could take place again in the usual way including offers for the public, e.g. in the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald.
The analyses of the samples are currently underway.
4 ABOL BioBlitzes
- Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald – Vienna, Ottakring
- Tyrol – Ehrwalder Becken
- Biosphere Reserve Nockberge – St. Lorenzen ob Reichenau
- National Park Hohe Tauern – Malta valley
2021
Most of the Days of Biodiversity with the ABOL BioBlitzes could take place again in 2021 – despite the ongoing pandemic. Unfortunately, this did not apply to the respective events for the interested public.
ABOL BioBlitzes 2021 in numbers
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 took place, albeit without offers for the public.
ABOL BioBlitz 2020 in numbers
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 Austrian biodiversity community and make DNA barcoding better known as an innovative approach 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, 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
Data set 2019 & 2020
Most of the DNA barcode reference data generated by the ABOL BioBlitzes 2019 and 2020 has already been published. They can be viewed via the following link:
dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-ABOLBB19
The graphic on the right shows the taxonomic classification of the data obtained. Coleoptera and Hymenoptera lead the field. The data reflect to some extent not only the abundance of the taxonomic groups but also the expertise of the participants. The data make a significant contribution to the database of Austrian biodiversity. We thank all contributors!
In addition, a joint publication for the Acta ZooBot on ABOL BioBlitzes was written as part of the publication of the data ->DOWNLOAD
Latest News
M. SonnleitnerABOL BioBlitz in the Hohen Tauern8. August, 2024 - 14:55The last ABOL BioBlitz 2024 during the Days of Biodiversity took place on the first weekend in August in the Hohe Tauern National Park. In almost traditionally bad weather, around 75 experts swarmed out to record biodiversity in the Habachtal in the Salzburg part of the Hohe Tauern National Park. The breaks in the rain […]
M. SonnleitnerGEO Day of Biodiversity in South Carinthia17. July, 2024 - 15:04On the first weekend in July, the ABOL-BioBlitz was a guest at the GEO Day of Biodiversity in the Geopark Karawanken, this year for the first time in southern Carinthia. After the welcome and introductory words in Bleiburg, the Globasnitzbachtal was investigated in the afternoon and evening of the first day. There was something for […]
N. Fial10 years ÖEG insect camp17. July, 2024 - 11:09Parallel to the Day of Biodiversity in the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald, ABOL was represented for the third time at the ÖEG insect camp from June 6th to 9th. Like ABOL, the insect camp also celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and this year it took place in the Karwendel Nature Reserve in Tyrol. On this […]