Biodiversity-rich Mals attracts European scientists to collect butterflies and moths for unlocking the secrets of their genomes

Project Psyche is an ambitious pan-European initiative to sequence the genomes of all 11,000 butterfly and moth species found across the continent. This is an unprecedented collaboration, supported by the Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK) and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action 10kLepGenomes, involving international stakeholders such as genome consortia, scientific societies, and amateur experts. The aim is to advance genome research while building capacity and tools to address biodiversity loss, sustainable pest management, and resilience to climate change. In July, about 50 experts in butterflies, moths and genomics from 19 European countries will convene in Mals, one of Europe’s most biodiverse and environmentally proactive communities. This represents the first major field workshop of Project Psyche, where science and the community come together to learn about biodiversity and discuss pressing societal needs. 

All living organisms are built according to the information contained in their DNA, also known as the genome. The recent technological revolution in DNA sequencing has made it possible to sequence a whole genome from any organism on Earth. Unlocking this information in the genome can help us understand the living world around us in ways that we are only starting to imagine. 

In 2018, a grand vision was put forward as the Earth Biogenome Project, an effort to sequence the genomes of all non-bacterial life on Earth. Many scientists were critical, seeing only the difficulties and not the potential. However, to demonstrate that this is actually doable, the so-called Darwin Tree of Life Project was founded with the goal of sequencing such genomes of unprecedented quality from species in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Out of this grew the Project Psyche with the focus on butterflies and moths, a group of organisms which offer a fantastic opportunity to advance this field of science. 

Why butterflies and moths? 

One of the first groups of organisms that the Darwin Tree of Life Project focused on is butterflies and moths, also known as Lepidoptera. They are used as a model system to help develop best practices for sequencing genomes across the tree of life. It helps that they have relatively small genomes compared to many other groups of organisms (about 500 million letters in their DNA compared to humans with about 3 billion or, for example, salamanders with more than 10 billion letters!). 

With about 160,000 described species, Lepidoptera represent one-tenth of the animals on the planet. They are vital pollinators and food sources for many species; they are also powerful indicators for the health and conservation status of ecosystems; and at the same time, they are important pests of our agriculture.  

Thanks to their popularity among both hobby-lepidopterists and scientists, butterflies and moths are among the best-studied insects in terms of biology, ecology, and morphology. This wealth of knowledge, combined with rapidly growing insights into their genomes, is now opening the door to answering exciting new scientific and applied research questions. 

By studying genomes, the scientists can begin to understand, for example, how quickly caterpillars can adapt to novel host plants, or how they can change the rate of their development in response to climate change. Beyond basic science, the genomic data will have important practical applications. In pest management, for instance, it can make it easier to understand the evolution of pesticide resistance. In conservation biology, it can inform strategies such as translocations and aid with population monitoring. Genomics also makes it possible to identify cryptic species—those that look similar but differ genetically or ecologically so that they are effectively different species. 

Why Mals: The SEL Study Area  

With the funds from 10kLepGenomes, the first of a series of field workshops is being organised, and the SEL (Society for European Lepidopterology) Study Area in Mals was chosen to start with. Originally, Mals was chosen as the SEL study area because of its unique location within Europe, where the combination of its geography and climate makes it extremely diverse. With the ongoing efforts by Gerhard Tarmann (Tiroler Landesmuseen, Innsbruck) and others, more than 3,000 species of Lepidoptera have been recorded from Mals. Over the years, biodiversity scientists have been very impressed by the attitude of the local community towards sampling insects and because Mals clearly said no to overuse of pesticides in agriculture. 

Field workshop July 14-18 

The Project Psyche is rapidly approaching its first major goal of sequencing genomes from 1,000 species that have been collected from all over Europe. During this week, over 50 experts from 19 European countries will work together towards sampling a few individuals of as many lepidopteran species as possible to sequence their genomes. The week will be filled with day- and night-time collecting, specimen identification and processing, lectures, and focused discussions. In addition to all the collected specimens, the participants expect to carry back home with them a great experience that will strengthen the Project Psyche and deepen the connection with the local community in Mals.  

Together, it is possible to fight against the rapid decline of insect populations – the so-called “insect Armageddon” – and increase our knowledge of butterflies and moths. Project Psyche’s rapid development and applied outcomes are the result of contagious enthusiasm in the Lepidoptera community in Europe. Moreover, its highly collaborative nature, including its aim to jointly analyse the first 1,000 genomes as a community, hopes to promote knowledge exchange and provide opportunities, particularly for early-career researchers.  

By working together and drawing upon the skills of researchers across Europe, an effort will be made to address important questions in basic science, especially ecology and evolutionary biology, as well as tackling urgent societal issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pest control. 

For more information, visit: https://www.projectpsyche.org (Project Psyche); http://www.soceurlep.eu/ (SEL Society for European Lepidopterology). Psyche and SEL are collaborating with Tiroler Landesmuseen https://www.tiroler-landesmuseen.at/ on preparing the workshop. 

Contact details: 

Project Psyche leaders 

Prof Mark Blaxter (Email: [email protected]) 

Dr Charlotte Wright (Email: [email protected]) 

Dr Joana Isabel Meier (Email: [email protected]) 

Wellcome Sanger Institute 

Cambridge, CB10 1SA 

United Kingdom 

SEL Society for European Lepidopterology’s President 

Dr Jadranka Rota (Email: [email protected]) 

Lund University, Department of Biology 

Sölvegatan 37, 223 62 Lund 

Sweden 

Contacts during the Field Workshop in Mals: 

Benjamin Wiesmair (Email: [email protected]) 

Tiroler Landesmuseen-Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. 

Museumstraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck 

Austria 

Dr Evelyn Kustatscher (Email: [email protected]) 

Tiroler Landesmuseen-Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. 

Krajnc-Straße 1, 6060 Hall in Tirol 

Austria 

Dr Alena Suchackova (Email: [email protected]) 

Senckenberg German Entomological Institute  

Eberswalder Straße 90 

15374 Müncheberg 

Germany