SUPR
Insect Biome Atlas data storage
Dnr:

NAISS 2024/23-215

Type:

NAISS Small Storage

Principal Investigator:

Fredrik Ronquist

Affiliation:

Naturhistoriska riksmuseet

Start Date:

2024-04-30

End Date:

2025-05-01

Primary Classification:

10608: Zoology

Allocation

Abstract

Insect Biome Atlas (IBA) is an international collaborative effort to describe in detail the insect faunas of two biologically and geologically very different countries: Sweden and Madagascar. The project, one of the largest ongoing insect biodiversity surveys, addresses key questions about the insect diversity: How are insect species distributed across habitats, sites and seasons? What are the key environmental factors shaping insect diversity? Collection phase lasted a whole year (2019) in each country and was done by means of Malaise traps: 200 in Sweden and 50 in Madagascar. Summing up, the IBA collected more than 8000 insect community samples. Several other types of samples and ecological measurements were also collected at the trap sites to gather a full understanding of the ecological roles of the organisms that comprise the insect biome in these countries. Analysis of the samples include identification of all insects and the organisms they interact with, such as pathogens as well as symbiotic fungi and bacteria - this is achieved by using novel DNA techniques. The results and material collected during the IBA project will be useful for scientists interested in systematics, taxonomy and insect ecology and evolution for many years to come.