DNA Barcoding of Armenian Aquatic Ecosystems

Located at the heart of the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot and characterized by the unique Lake Sevan system, Armenia continues to develop its capacities to detect hidden biodiversity in aquatic organisms. LIB has been collaborating closely with Yerevan's Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology since 2018, financed originally by DAAD and BMBF/BMFTR (CaBOL project). During the last years, thousands of sequences have been produced within this fruitful collaboration, lately within the present project, funded by the Higher Education and Science Committee of Armenia, which has become an important milestone towards the establishment of comprehensive reference libraries for aquatic fauna and flora of Armenia. Extensive collecting activities, DNA barcoding, and scientific collection buildup are core elements of the project and carried out between both locations. New species descriptions, revisions, and faunal inventories are regularly produced in collaboration with wide-ranging international networks.