1
|
van Klink R, Sheard JK, Høye TT, Roslin T, Do Nascimento LA, Bauer S. Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230101. [PMID: 38705179 PMCID: PMC11070268 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, yet our knowledge of their diversity, ecology and population trends remains abysmally poor. Four major technological approaches are coming to fruition for use in insect monitoring and ecological research-molecular methods, computer vision, autonomous acoustic monitoring and radar-based remote sensing-each of which has seen major advances over the past years. Together, they have the potential to revolutionize insect ecology, and to make all-taxa, fine-grained insect monitoring feasible across the globe. So far, advances within and among technologies have largely taken place in isolation, and parallel efforts among projects have led to redundancy and a methodological sprawl; yet, given the commonalities in their goals and approaches, increased collaboration among projects and integration across technologies could provide unprecedented improvements in taxonomic and spatio-temporal resolution and coverage. This theme issue showcases recent developments and state-of-the-art applications of these technologies, and outlines the way forward regarding data processing, cost-effectiveness, meaningful trend analysis, technological integration and open data requirements. Together, these papers set the stage for the future of automated insect monitoring. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roel van Klink
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 1 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Julie Koch Sheard
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, Leipzig 04318, Germany
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Biodiversity, Dornburger Straße 159, Jena 07743, Germany
- Department of Biology, Animal Ecology, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, Marburg 35043, Germany
| | - Toke T. Høye
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 8, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
- Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 1, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Ulls väg 18B, Uppsala 75651, Sweden
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leandro A. Do Nascimento
- Science Department, biometrio.earth, Dr.-Schoenemann-Str. 38, Saarbrücken 66123 Deutschland, Germany
| | - Silke Bauer
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf CH-8903, Switzerland
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, Sempach 6204, Switzerland
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Sciencepark 904, Amsterdam 1098 XH, The Netherlands
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16 Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Blackman R, Couton M, Keck F, Kirschner D, Carraro L, Cereghetti E, Perrelet K, Bossart R, Brantschen J, Zhang Y, Altermatt F. Environmental DNA: The next chapter. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17355. [PMID: 38624076 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Molecular tools are an indispensable part of ecology and biodiversity sciences and implemented across all biomes. About a decade ago, the use and implementation of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect biodiversity signals extracted from environmental samples opened new avenues of research. Initial eDNA research focused on understanding population dynamics of target species. Its scope thereafter broadened, uncovering previously unrecorded biodiversity via metabarcoding in both well-studied and understudied ecosystems across all taxonomic groups. The application of eDNA rapidly became an established part of biodiversity research, and a research field by its own. Here, we revisit key expectations made in a land-mark special issue on eDNA in Molecular Ecology in 2012 to frame the development in six key areas: (1) sample collection, (2) primer development, (3) biomonitoring, (4) quantification, (5) behaviour of DNA in the environment and (6) reference database development. We pinpoint the success of eDNA, yet also discuss shortfalls and expectations not met, highlighting areas of research priority and identify the unexpected developments. In parallel, our retrospective couples a screening of the peer-reviewed literature with a survey of eDNA users including academics, end-users and commercial providers, in which we address the priority areas to focus research efforts to advance the field of eDNA. With the rapid and ever-increasing pace of new technical advances, the future of eDNA looks bright, yet successful applications and best practices must become more interdisciplinary to reach its full potential. Our retrospect gives the tools and expectations towards concretely moving the field forward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosetta Blackman
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marjorie Couton
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - François Keck
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Kirschner
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Landscape Dynamics & Ecology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Luca Carraro
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eva Cereghetti
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kilian Perrelet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Urban Water Management, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Bossart
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jeanine Brantschen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|