Barcoding the Collembola of Churchill: a molecular taxonomic reassessment of species diversity in a sub‐ Arctic area

• Published in: Molecular Ecology Resources
• Main Authors: Porco, David, Skarżyński, Dariusz, Decaëns, Thibaud, Hebert, Paul D. N., Deharveng, Louis
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2013
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12172; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2F1755-0998.12172; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1755-0998.12172

Abstract Although their functional importance in ecosystems is increasingly recognized, soil‐dwelling micro‐arthropods are usually poorly known in comparison with their above‐ground counterparts. Collembola constitute a significant and species‐rich component of the soil biodiversity, but it remains a woefully understudied group because of the taxonomic impediment. The ever‐increasing use of molecular taxonomic tools, such as DNA barcoding, provides a possible solution. Here, we test the use of this approach through a diversity survey of C ollembola from the vicinity of C hurchill, M anitoba, C anada, and compare the results with previous surveys in the same area and in other sub‐ A rctic regions. The systematic barcoding campaign at C hurchill revealed a diverse collembolan fauna consisting of 97 species‐level MOTU s in six types of habitats. If all these MOTU s are confirmed as species, this richness would be far higher than prior records for A rctic C anada and could lead to reconsider the actual diversity of the group in A rctic environments.