CeNak supports the Zoological Research Museum (ZFMK) in their Georgian bioblitz
30 August 2019
Photo: UHH/CeNak, Neiber
The Georgian section of the Greater Caucasus still has many unspoiled habitats.
Why do species become extinct? How can we record and preserve our planet’s biodiversity and fauna? A team of researchers and students at Ilia State University (Tblisi, Georgia), the University of Bonn, the Zoological Research Museum Alexander König (ZFMK) in Bonn, and other institutions have been exploring potential answers to those questions within the scope of a project in Georgia launched in 2018. An expert from CeNak is supporting the bioblitz in the Caucasian townlet of Stepantsminda for the first time.
The main goal of the project is to create DNA barcodes of Georgia’s native flora and fauna. These data will facilitate a comparison of the biodiversity of the forested mountains of the Caucasus and similar regions in Germany and wider Europe. Georgia’s old forests are major reserves of biodiversity: human impact is still low in large swathes of the region, and the habitats remain largely unspoiled. By drawing a comparison to forested regions in Central Europe, the experts hope to understand why certain snakes, mollusks, and spiders disappear or become extinct, which disrupts the ecological balance of their habitats. They also want to develop timely protective measures.
More than 40 new mollusks identified
Marco Neiber, postdoctoral researcher at CeNak, is a part of the mission to record the diversity of Georgian animal species. With considerable expertise and access to the large collection of mollusks held at CeNak, he makes a significant contribution to the documentation of this group. So far, he has identified more than 40 mollusk species which he collected during the bioblitz in 2019. In partnership with the ZFMK, he continues to evaluate his samples. “I use DNA barcoding for this project and work with our reference collection to identify species. At the moment, the tissue samples are still being analyzed in Bonn.” For his doctoral dissertation, Marco Neiber intensively researched Caucasian mollusks between 2011 and 2016. “I am pleased to contribute my own expertise to the research collaborative on behalf of CeNak and impart my knowledge to the Georgian students.”
Another bioblitz has been scheduled for next year. Bernhard Misof, deputy director of the ZFMK, said: “We would like to expand the partnership in future.”