UTILIZING 10,000 GENOMES OF EUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA (10KLepGenomes)

The 10kLepGenomes COST Action aims to take advantage of the massive amount of data being produced by genome initiatives, in order to understand pressing issues of biodiversity loss, pest control, and effects of climate change on local populations of organisms. With genomes available soon for close to 1000 species, and intiatives underway to provide genomes for a further 9000 species in Europe, Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are poised to be a model group for how we can manage and utilise large amounts of data. Lepidoptera play an important role as pollinators, herbivores, and prey for a range of predators. Their genomes are conserved, small, and easy to sequence and assemble to chromosome level, thus making them a target for several large genome sequencing initiatives. Lepidoptera are also model groups for evolutionary, ecological, and developmental biological studies.