DNA barcoding reveals diversity of Hymenoptera and the dominance of parasitoids in a sub-arctic environment

BACKGROUND: Insect diversity typically declines with increasing latitude, but previous studies have shown conflicting latitude-richness gradients for some hymenopteran parasitoids. However, historical estimates of insect diversity and species richness can be difficult to confirm or compare, because...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC ecology 2013-01, Vol.13 (1), p.2-2
Main Authors: Stahlhut, Julie K, Fernández-Triana, José, Adamowicz, Sarah J, Buck, Matthias, Goulet, Henri, Hebert, Paul DN, Huber, John T, Merilo, Mark T, Sheffield, Cory S, Woodcock, Thomas, Smith, M Alex
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bar codes
Barcoding biotas
Biodiversity
Biological diversity
Braconidae
Canada
DNA
DNA barcoding
DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic
Ecology
Estimates
Genetic aspects
Genetic research
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera - classification
Hymenoptera - genetics
Ichneumonidae
insects
latitude
Manitoba
Parasitoids
species diversity
Studies
Sub-Arctic
surveys
Taxonomy
Wasps
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Summary:BACKGROUND: Insect diversity typically declines with increasing latitude, but previous studies have shown conflicting latitude-richness gradients for some hymenopteran parasitoids. However, historical estimates of insect diversity and species richness can be difficult to confirm or compare, because they may be based upon dissimilar methods. As a proxy for species identification, we used DNA barcoding to identify molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) for 7870 Hymenoptera specimens collected near Churchill, Manitoba, from 2004 through 2010. RESULTS: We resolved 1630 MOTUs for this collection, of which 75% (1228) were ichneumonoids (Ichneumonidae + Braconidae) and 91% (1484) were parasitoids. We estimate the total number of Hymenoptera MOTUs in this region at 2624-2840. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of parasitoids in this sub-Arctic environment implies a high diversity of potential host species throughout the same range. We discuss these results in the contexts of resolving interspecific interactions that may include cryptic species, and developing reproducible methods to estimate and compare species richness across sites and between surveys, especially when morphological specialists are not available to identify every specimen.
ISSN:1472-6785
1472-6785
DOI:10.1186/1472-6785-13-2