Laubheuschrecken und Grillen (Orthoptera: Ensifera) im Kakamega Forest Reserve, Kenia

Das primäre Ziel des BIOTA Ost Teilprojektes E06 (HÄUSER et al. 2003) ist die Erforschung der Tag- und Nachtfalterfauna im Kakamega Forest Reserve, einem Schutzgebiet in Westkenia, ca. 50 km nördlich der am Viktoriasee gelegenen Provinzhauptstadt Kisumu (siehe auch KOKWARO 1988). Während der Feldarbeit wurden außer Lepidopteren auch zahlreiche Orthopteren erfasst, in erster Linie Ensifera und Caelifera. In den National Museums of Kenya (NMK) in Nairobi befindet sich zudem eine umfangreiche Sammlung kenianischer Orthopteren, die während der Aufenthalte in Kenia eingesehen werden konnte. Die vorliegende Arbeit bietet einen vorläufigen Überblick über die Orthopterenfauna des Kakamega Forest Reserve und basiert im Wesentlichen auf diesen genannten Quellen. Es ist uns ein Anliegen, mit diesem knappen Überblick weitere Arbeiten und Studien über diese interessante und ökologisch wichtige Insektengruppe im Untersuchungsgebiet anzuregen.In the BIOTA East Project E06 (BMBF project ID 01LC0025), 3 field trips to the Kakamega Forest Reserve were undertaken between September 2002 and January 2004. Among other Orthoptera representatives 122 specimens of Ensifera were recorded. Most of the specimens were collected manually, using a net, or recorded at light traps. The number of species occurring in Kenya is about 200 according to the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) collection, literature data (KEVAN 1950, KEVAN & KNIPPER 1961, OTTE et al. 1988), and OSF (OTTE & NASKRECKI 1997). According to the Orthoptera Species File, OSF (http://osf2x.orthoptera.org/osf2.2/OSF2X2Frameset.htm) the type locality of 94 species is located in Kenya. Both figures will most probably increase significantly in the future. From the Kakamega Forest region, 33 species in 7 families are reported to date, based on our own field collecting (122 specimens) and NMK data (about 60 specimens). The estimated minimal number of occurring species is 60

Electronic data recording tools and identifying species in the field

The “European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy” (EDIT) is an initiative of 28 European, North American and Russian institutions to build a network in “Taxonomy for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research”, with the objective to reduce the fragmentation in taxonomy through institutional integration in Europe (www.etaxonomy. eu). European Commission funding (FP6) for this “Network of Excellence” has started in March 2006, and runs for 5 years. For EDIT Work Package 7 (WP 7) “Applying Taxonomy to Conservation” the aim is to strengthen the input of taxonomic expertise in Europe for biodiversity conservation, by organizing the participation of individual taxonomists and experts in biodiversity inventory and monitoring efforts in conservation areas (www.atbi.eu). For biodiversity inventories and monitoring, the advantage of using digital field recording tools is to simplify data recording as well as to improve data quality. The use of electronic field tools and software should be promoted to help minimizing error rates, in particular to avoid mistakes from the beginning of the recording chain. Many errors may be avoided by using authority lists, e.g. for countries, habitat-types or taxa that can already be determined in the field. Automated georeferencing and recording of date and time in standardized formats already in the field will also avoid errors when importing or retyping such data into a database. Relevant software should be usable for tools such as mobile phones with GPS (Global Positioning System) functionality up to water resistant PDAs - Personal Digital Assistant (e.g. Magellan - Mobile Mapper; Trimble – Juno, Nomad). Examples presented here for more efficient electronic data recording in the field include the application of mobile recording devices with customized forms, which are tested for field work in ATBI+M (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories + Monitoring; www.atbi.eu) sites operated in the EDIT project. This is a general approach for recording georeferenced, individual species data using customized forms for ESRI ArcPad applications. Species names can be selected from a taxonomic authority list provided in a file in dBASE-format. Such files can be easily created, modified, and exchanged to allow individual researchers to use regional or otherwise customized species lists. Fields and field formats correspond to ABCD standards so that exports of recorded locality, event, and species data can be directly integrated into a central database and applications for individual ATBI+M websites (e.g. www.atbi.eu/mercantour-marittime/ or www. atbi.eu/gemer/). The authority species lists may be customized for a geographic area (e.g., a nature reserve) and/or a group of taxa (e.g., larger birds). This allows each expert to choose the species list needed for his/her research. Problems remain with observation records which cannot be reliably determined in the field. Therefore identification help should be made available on the PDA at least for difficult taxa

Die Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - Struktur, Aufgaben und Ziele.

Die Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) wurde nach über dreijähriger Vorarbeit des Megascience Forum der OECD im Frühjahr 2001 mit dem Ziel gegründet, wissenschaftliche Daten und Informationen zur Biodiversität über des Internet frei verfügbar und zur besseren Nutzung zu verknüpfen. Im Rahmen einer weltweiten Forschungskooperation wird GBIF von derzeit 47 Staaten und 29 internationalen Organisationen als Mitgliedern getragen, die sich alle zur freien Bereitstellung digitaler Biodiversitätsdaten nach gemeinsamen Standards über eigene, dafür selbst einzurichtende Datenknoten verpflichtet haben. Das internationale Vorhaben wird durch einen Aufsichtsrat mit Vertretern aller Mitgliedsstaaten und –organisationen geleitet, dessen Arbeit durch mehrere Komitees und Ausschüsse unterstützt wird. Das seit 2002 in Kopenhagen, Dänemark, angesiedelte GBIF-Sekretariat betreibt den Aufbau des internationalen GBIF Portals (www.gbif.net) und unterstützt koordinierend die Aktivitäten der einzelnen Mitglieder, die sich auf vier Programmbereiche erstrecken: Standardisierung und Verknüpfung von Datenbanken (DADI), Digitalisierung von Daten zu Sammlungsobjekten (DIGIT), Katalog der bekannten Organismennamen (ECAT), sowie Ausbildung und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit (OCB). Für die deutsche Beteiligung an GBIF wurden mit Unterstützung der Bundesregierung (BMBF) sieben Datenknoten an verschiedenen Forschungsinstitutionen aufgebaut, deren Zuständigkeit sich auf unterschiedliche Organismengruppen erstreckt: 1. Insekten (Wirbellose 1) am Staatlichen Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart; 2. terrestrische Wirbellose (Wirbellose 2) an der Zoologischen Staatssammlung München; 3. marine Wirbellose (Wirbellose 3) am Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Frankfurt/Main; 4. Wirbeltiere am Zoologischen Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn; 5. Pflanzen am Botanischen Garten und Botanischen Museum Berlin; 6. Pilze an der Botanischen Staatssammlung München; 7. Mikroorganismen an der Deutschen Sammlung für Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen in Braunschweig. Die aufgrund ihrer fachlich unterschiedlichen Ausrichtung innerhalb der einzelnen Knoten zur Erfassung von Sammlungsdaten verwendeten, verschiedenen Datenbankprogramme werden kurz angeführt.StichwörterBiodiversity information, international cooperation, internet, database, collection data, GBIF node.After more than three years of preparatory work by the OECD Megascience Forum, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) was officially established in 2001 with the goal to make scientific biodiversity data freely available and more useful by linking databases through the internet. As a worldwide research endeavour, GBIF currently has 47 countries and 29 international organisations as its members, all of which have committed themselves to share freely biodiversity data according to common standards through their own data nodes. The organisation is controlled by a Governing Board consisting of representatives from all members, supported by several committees and advisory groups. The GBIF Secretariat has been established since 2002 in Copenhagen, Denmark, which develops the international GBIF portal and assists members by coordinating and supporting activities, which are focussed on four program areas: Data Access and Database Interoperability (DADI), Digitisation of Natural History Collection Data (DIGIT), Electronic Catalogue of Names of Known Organisms (ECAT), and Outreach and Capacity Building (OCB). - For the national contribution to GBIF, seven data nodes have been established at different research institutions in Germany with support from the Federal Government (BMBF), which are responsible for different groups of organisms: 1. Insects (Evertebrata 1) at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart; 2. Terrestrial invertebrates (Evertebrata 2) at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich; 3. Marine invertebrates (Evertebrata 3) at Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum in Frankfurt; 4. Vertebrates at the Zoological Research Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn; 5. Plants (botany) at the Botanic Gardens and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem; 6. Fungi (mycology) at the Bavarian State Collection of Botany in Munich; 7. Microorganisms (Prokaryota) at the German National Resource Centre for Biological Material in Braunschweig. Different database systems currently in use at these differently oriented institutions for capturing specimen based information are briefly introduced.KeywordsBiodiversity information, international cooperation, internet, database, collection data, GBIF node

Considerations and guidelines for import and export of ornithological samples from tropical countries

„Biodiversität“ wird zunehmend als wichtige Ressource erkannt. Schutz, Zugang und nachhaltige Nutzung der Biodiversität (genetische Ressourcen, Arten, Proben jeglicher Couleur) werden inzwischen auf verschiedenen politischen Ebenen verhandelt, was in international verbindlichen Rahmenwerken verankert wird. Verständnis von und Bewusstsein über Genehmigungen zum Import und Export biologischer Proben ist von zunehmender Bedeutung für Biologen, um Forschungsprojekte legal und zeitnah durchführen zu können. Nichtsdestotrotz werden nach wie vor biologische Proben fleißig im- und exportiert, oft genug auch unter Vernachlässigung der Genehmigungspflicht aufgrund lokaler, nationaler und internationaler Übereinkommen, Gesetzen und Verordnungen bzw. auch schlichtweg mit gesetzeswidrigem Verhalten oder Verpackungen beim Transport. Daraus entstehende Schwierigkeiten können ernsthafte Probleme während der Feldarbeit bedeuten, aber auch den Export verzögern oder zum Verlust von Proben führen. Intensive rechtzeitige (Vorab-) Information bezüglich gesetzlicher Voraussetzungen zum Import, Export und Transport biologischer Proben kann das Problempotenzial stark vermindern oder ganz beseitigen. Wir haben vier wichtige Faktoren identifiziert und fassen Informationen zu diesen Bereichen zusammen, die bei Beachtung die Genehmigungen und den Import in die EG vereinfachen können: (1) gute persönliche (auf gegenseitigem Vertrauen beruhende) Kontakte im Ursprungsland; (2) Verständnis und Einhaltung von allen relevanten Gesetzen und Verordnungen; (3) Zugang zu Informationen bezüglich Genehmigungen, Verordnungen und Informationsverbreitung innerhalb der Forschergemeinschaft; und (4) Zugang zu einheitlichen und aktuellen Richtlinien zu Genehmigungen, Verordnungen und Gesetzen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, in Zukunft die Forschung von einigen zentralen Problemen im Im- und Export zu befreien und Probleme und Missverständnisse zu reduzieren.‘Biodiversity’ is increasingly perceived as an important resource. Conservation, access and sustainable use of biodiversity (genetic resources, species, samples) are negotiated at political levels, resulting in an internationally binding legal framework. Understanding and awareness of export and import permits for biological samples is increasingly important for biologists to perform research projects legally and timely. Nevertheless, some biologists still export and import biological samples in disregard of or non-compliant with national and international legislation, conventions, and regulations. Resulting difficulties may not only cause serious problems during field work, but may also delay the export, import or exchange of samples. Comprehensive a priori information regarding legal requirements helps to avoid or at least diminish potential problems. We identified four major factors facilitating export/import permits: (1) good personal (mutually trusted) contacts in the country of origin, (2) understanding and compliance with all relevant laws and regulations; (3) access to information regarding knowledge on permits, regulations and laws including their circulation within the researcher communities and (4) access to consistent and up to date regulations and guidelines. We provide information on key issues to assist research teams trying to reduce problems and misunderstandings

Using Malaise traps for collecting Lepidoptera (Insecta), with notes on the preparation of Macrolepidoptera from ethanol

The present paper deals with the potential of employing Malaise traps for collecting butterflies and moths for morphological analysis and presents a protocol for preparing Macrolepidoptera from Malaise trap samples that were preserved in ethanol. About 80 specimens of Lepidoptera, including Nymphalidae, Geometridae, Hesperiidae, Erebidae, Noctuidae, Pyralidae and Tortricidae, were mounted, following the protocol. All specimens with robust wings and contrasting wing patterns were well suited for the study of external morphology, regardless of the family. The specimens used in this study were collected in highland forest areas of central Vietnam with a little known entomofauna, as part of the German-Vietnamese biodiversity project 'VIETBIO'. The study offers new methodological approaches in an attempt to make the most of the material that was obtained using Malaise traps

GEO-6 assessment for the pan-European region

Through this assessment, the authors and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) secretariat are providing an objective evaluation and analysis of the pan-European environment designed to support environmental decision-making at multiple scales. In this assessment, the judgement of experts is applied to existing knowledge to provide scientifically credible answers to policy-relevant questions. These questions include, but are not limited to the following:• What is happening to the environment in the pan-European region and why?• What are the consequences for the environment and the human population in the pan-European region?• What is being done and how effective is it?• What are the prospects for the environment in the future?• What actions could be taken to achieve a more sustainable future?<br/

Insights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis

Ustilago maydis is a ubiquitous pathogen of maize and a well-established model organism for the study of plant-microbe interactions. This basidiomycete fungus does not use aggressive virulence strategies to kill its host. U. maydis belongs to the group of biotrophic parasites (the smuts) that depend on living tissue for proliferation and development. Here we report the genome sequence for a member of this economically important group of biotrophic fungi. The 20.5-million-base U. maydis genome assembly contains 6,902 predicted protein-encoding genes and lacks pathogenicity signatures found in the genomes of aggressive pathogenic fungi, for example a battery of cell-wall-degrading enzymes. However, we detected unexpected genomic features responsible for the pathogenicity of this organism. Specifically, we found 12 clusters of genes encoding small secreted proteins with unknown function. A significant fraction of these genes exists in small gene families. Expression analysis showed that most of the genes contained in these clusters are regulated together and induced in infected tissue. Deletion of individual clusters altered the virulence of U. maydis in five cases, ranging from a complete lack of symptoms to hypervirulence. Despite years of research into the mechanism of pathogenicity in U. maydis, no 'true' virulence factors had been previously identified. Thus, the discovery of the secreted protein gene clusters and the functional demonstration of their decisive role in the infection process illuminate previously unknown mechanisms of pathogenicity operating in biotrophic fungi. Genomic analysis is, similarly, likely to open up new avenues for the discovery of virulence determinants in other pathogens. ©2006 Nature Publishing Group.J.K., M. B. and R.K. thank G. Sawers and U. Kämper for critical reading of the manuscript. The genome sequencing of Ustilago maydis strain 521 is part of the fungal genome initiative and was funded by National Human Genome Research Institute (USA) and BayerCropScience AG (Germany). F.B. was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (USA). J.K. and R.K. thank the German Ministry of Education and Science (BMBF) for financing the DNA array setup and the Max Planck Society for their support of the manual genome annotation. F.B. was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, B.J.S. was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, J.W.K. received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, J.R.-H. received funding from CONACYT, México, A.M.-M. was supported by a fellowship from the Humboldt Foundation, and L.M. was supported by an EU grant. Author Contributions All authors were involved in planning and executing the genome sequencing project. B.W.B., J.G., L.-J.M., E.W.M., D.D., C.M.W., J.B., S.Y., D.B.J., S.C., C.N., E.K., G.F., P.H.S., I.H.-H., M. Vaupel, H.V., T.S., J.M., D.P., C.S., A.G., F.C. and V. Vysotskaia contributed to the three independent sequencing projects; M.M., G.M., U.G., D.H., M.O. and H.-W.M. were responsible for gene model refinement, database design and database maintenance; G.M., J. Kämper, R.K., G.S., M. Feldbrügge, J.S., C.W.B., U.F., M.B., B.S., B.J.S., M.J.C., E.C.H.H., S.M., F.B., J.W.K., K.J.B., J. Klose, S.E.G., S.J.K., M.H.P., H.A.B.W., R.deV., H.J.D., J.R.-H., C.G.R.-P., L.O.-C., M.McC., K.S., J.P.-M., J.I.I., W.H., P.G., P.S.-A., M. Farman, J.E.S., R.S., J.M.G.-P., J.C.K., W.L. and D.H. were involved in functional annotation and interpretation; T.B., O.M., L.M., A.M.-M., D.G., K.M., N.R., V. Vincon, M. VraneŠ, M.S. and O.L. performed experiments. J. Kämper, R.K. and M.B. wrote and edited the paper with input from L.-J.M., J.G., F.B., J.W.K., B.J.S. and S.E.G. Individual contributions of authors can be found as Supplementary Notes

Using Malaise traps for collecting Lepidoptera (Insecta), with notes on the preparation of Macrolepidoptera from ethanol

The present paper deals with the potential of employing Malaise traps for collecting butterflies and moths for morphological analysis and presents a protocol for preparing Macrolepidoptera from Malaise trap samples that were preserved in ethanol. About 80 specimens of Lepidoptera, including Nymphalidae, Geometridae, Hesperiidae, Erebidae, Noctuidae, Pyralidae and Tortricidae, were mounted, following the protocol. All specimens with robust wings and contrasting wing patterns were well suited for the study of external morphology, regardless of the family. The specimens used in this study were collected in highland forest areas of central Vietnam with a little known entomofauna, as part of the German-Vietnamese biodiversity project 'VIETBIO'. The study offers new methodological approaches in an attempt to make the most of the material that was obtained using Malaise traps