Pan-European genome research to save biodiversity worldwide

Time is running out. One in four species on our planet is currently threatened with extinction. In the fight against species loss and the destruction of ecosystems, we need comprehensive knowledge about how life on earth functions and reacts to environmental pressures. We have lacked this so far. Despite research, it is estimated that 80 per cent of species worldwide have not yet been scientifically described. The BGE consortium aims to bring about a quantum leap in the utilisation of genomics in Europe and thus provide us with the opportunity to generate important information about our ecosystems much more quickly.

The Biodiversity Genomics Europe project will bring together existing international scientific networks in Europe for two fundamental DNA-based technologies - DNA barcoding and genome sequencing - that are concerned with mapping biodiversity to understand biological systems and the interaction between species and environmental change.

The €21 million BGE project is co-funded by the European Commission and the UK and Swiss governments. It runs until 2026 and brings together organisations from the European DNA barcoding project BIOSCAN* and the genome sequencing initiative ERGA*, which are part of the International Barcode of Life and the Earth BioGenome Project.

"We are delighted to be able to support the pioneering BGE project with our expertise at the LIB and our infrastructure," emphasises Dr Astrid Böhne, Section Head of Comparative Genomics (Vertebrates) and project leader of the ERGA initiative at the Museum Koenig Bonn of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB). "One of our central tasks at the LIB is to use our research to contribute to the understanding of biological systems and the interaction between species and environmental changes."

In the BGE project, the LIB coordinates the entire sample data flow for the ERGA initiative. The experts at the LIB Biobank are responsible for archiving molecular samples throughout the BGE project. Under the coordination of Dr Jonas Astrin, they are working on the development of cell cultures that serve as a resource for genome sequencing, among other things. Dr Sarah Bourlat is responsible for coordinating citizen science in the barcoding area of the project.

DNA-based biodiversity research: Europe switches on the turbo

The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 and the European Green Deal contain clear commitments to tackle challenges. These include the decline of pollinators, the degradation of important terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats and the impact of invasive species on biodiversity. The BGE consortium, funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme, provides the means to achieve these goals.

Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE)
E-mail: INFO@BIODIVERSITYGENOMICS.EU
Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR - Leiden (The Netherlands)
Twitter: @BIOGENEUROPE

Background

• DNA barcoding uses short DNA sequences to distinguish between different species - similar to conventional barcodes used to distinguish products in a supermarket.
• Genome sequencing determines the order of DNA nucleotides - the building blocks of the genetic code - throughout the genome of a particular species. In this way, researchers can identify and localise genes and other features of the genome to create a comparative "map" of the code that makes up each organism.
• *BIOSCANEurope (104 partner organisations in 29 countries) brings together existing European national networks, researchers and projects involved in monitoring biodiversity using DNA. The aim is to establish an efficient European system of interconnected institutions for the rapid identification and monitoring of species. The initiative is part of the International Barcode of Life Consortium (iBOL) and its global BIOSCAN initiative, which aims to improve the understanding of biodiversity, its interactions and its dynamics. The aim of BIOSCAN Europe is to create a European hub for the International Barcode of Life Consortium.
• *The ERGA initiative (European Reference Genome Atlas, 709 members in 37 countries) is a pan-European scientific community of experts in the field of genome sequencing that aims to coordinate the creation of reference genomes for all eukaryotic European species. ERGA follows a distributed model to create and consolidate a collaborative and interdisciplinary network of scientists across Europe and associated countries. ERGA supports the development and dissemination of guidelines for scaling up all steps required for the generation of state-of-the-art reference genomes with training and knowledge transfer.

Visit WWW.BIOSCANEUROPE.ORG and WWW.ERGA-BIODIVERSITY.EU for more information on the individual members of the two networks.