DNA barcoding of forest entomological relevant insects from the BFW insect collection
Climate change together with the spread of invasive species lead to increased pressure on the forest. In order to be able to react to negative effects as quickly as possible, early detection of changes is necessary. DNA barcoding enables the determination of organisms at an early stage of development or in mixed samples and is therefore suitable for the early detection of potential harmful organisms. For this kind of determination, publicly available reference data is required.
The aim of the project is the creation of DNA barcodes of 475 individuals from the collection of the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW). A particular focus of the project will be on xylobiont beetle species. The use of an existing collection reduces the costs of creating DNA barcodes on the one hand, and on the other hand makes part of the collection available for the public. The sequence and metadata are entered in the international database BOLD and in the ABOL database.
Team
Christian Sturmbauer, project leader (ÖAW, Univ. Graz)
Gernot Hoch (BFW)
Werner Hinterstoisser (BFW)
Nikolaus Szucsich (NHM Vienna)
Funding: Austrian Academy of Sciences
Project status: completed
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