NGS barcoding reveals high resistance of a hyperdiverse chironomid (Diptera) swamp fauna against invasion from adjacent freshwater reservoirs.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Macroinvertebrates such as non-biting midges (Chironomidae: Diptera) are important components of freshwater ecosystems. However, they are often neglected in biodiversity and conservation research because invertebrate species richness is difficult and expensive to quantify with traditional methods. We here demonstrate that Next Generation Sequencing barcodes ("NGS barcodes") can provide relief because they allow for fast and large-scale species-level sorting of large samples at low cost.

Results

We used NGS barcoding to investigate the midge fauna of Singapore's swamp forest remnant (Nee Soon Swamp Forest). Based on > 14.000 barcoded specimens, we find that the swamp forest maintains an exceptionally rich fauna composed of an observed number of 289 species (estimat

SUBMITTER: Baloglu B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6092845 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature