The study of insect species diversity and modern approaches

Transcription

1 The study of insect species diversity and modern approaches Humala A.E. Forest Research Institute Karelian Research Centre RAS Petrozavodsk, RUSSIA

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4 The main idea and aim of any research TO FILL THE GAPS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE

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6 Entomofauna of the trilateral park Pasvik-Inari is studied insufficiently The entomological studies in Norway and Finland in this area were mainly restricted by aquatic and moist biotopes, so the sampling was conducted close to rivers, lakes, mires, springs, etc. The study in Russia ( Pasvik reserve) was associated mainly with forest biotopes.

7 During the whole season 2007 we collected insects in different biotopes of Pasvik Nature Reserve. These materials are partly determined and published, but the majority of materials obtained during the study is still untreated Undoubtedly our colleagues from Norway and Finland also met the same difficulties in the treatment of their materials, because of the lack of specialists in taxonomy of many insect groups

8 The groups of our expertise fungus gnats (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) and ichneumon wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) are very abundant and diverse in subarctic ecosystems, and play important role there. The more or less comprehensive study of these insects nowadays is almost impossible without the using of different traps, as the traditional sweepnetting is insufficient

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10 More efficient traps for our purposes: Malaise trap

11 Yellow pan traps

12 What do we plan to do? - to exchange information with colleagues about the collections available; - to share these materials for the treatment by specialists; - to identify specimens in existing collections, including unsorted samples

13 - to sample in the field, using taxon-specific collection methods, with particular focus on previously overlooked localities and habitats, e.g. tundra biotopes close to the Barents sea shore (in Russia), probably NE Inari Lapland in Finland and easternmost part of Finnmark in Norway. We are interested in whole biogeographical province Lapponia petsamoensis, as it is good possibility to compare available old data obtained by Finnish entomologists in XX century with new ones to trace any changes.

14 - to digitize species occurrence data and make them available through Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or Artskart in Norway - to make the collections and datasets available to other important biodiversity-related initiatives, e.g. DNA barcoding. Nowadays this method is widely applied in systematic and taxonomy studies to confirm new species status, to distinguish some doubtful species, etc.

15 Our experience so far is that the COI sequences can be very useful for resolving taxonomically difficult species complexes, which will be undoubtedly revealed during our study, although in some groups it does not work, like with Ichneumon s. str., probably because of symbiotic bacteria (Wolbachia). Probably our colleagues could help us to conduct this analysis when it will be required.

16 Barcode of Life Data (BOLD) Systems The samples (legs) should be send in plates with 95 vials (i.e. 95 samples per plate) to Canada (Ontario, Guelph), where the sequencing is done. The complete specimen data, sequences, pictures, trace files, etc. are stored in an online database (

17 The BOLD system has many options to analyze data, for instance by creating trees which is necessary for checking the results of morphological studies Example: German Barcode of Life: Ichneumonidae (GBICH part of GBOL)

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20 The collaboration in entomology is highly recommended, as we are able to help each other in the species identification. The organization of such joint treatment within some international project aiming to the study of poorly known groups of insects would be a good possibility for collaboration and wide field for the application of our joint efforts. The planned results - mutual publications in entomological journals devoted to the entomofauna of trilateral park Pasvik Inari and Lapland.

21 Thank you!