Weekend reads

More to read including some from the rather large backlog. Have a great weekend with some good reads.Escaping introns in COI through cDNA barcoding of mushrooms: Pleurotus as a test case.DNA barcoding involves the use of one or more short, standardized DNA fragments for the rapid identification of species. A 648-bp segment near the 5' terminus of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene has been adopted as the universal DNA barcode for…

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Weekend reads

Back after a longer hiatus with more reads for you. Too much work and a little bit of vacation in between didn't allow for much posting. Let's if some reshuffling of things work better. Well, enough about me, back to other's papers (although the first is mine ;-) ):DNA analysis of traded shark fins and mobulid gill plates reveals a high proportion of species of conservation concernContinuously increasing demand for plant and animal products causes…

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Online course on Metabarcoding

Its that time time of the year! In collaboration the the University of Guelph Open Ed department we are running another iteration of the distance education course on Metabarcoding taught by myself.There are still spots available and the course will be running September 25 to October 20, 2017This 4-week, web-based course provides an overview of the state of current technology and the various platforms used. The course consists of a series of online lectures and…

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Weekend reads

Another busy week with no further posts. That should change next week as I have build quite a list of things to write about. Nevertheless, I wanted to ensure that I provide my weekly dose of interesting new reads. Here we go.First molecular identification of the vertebrate hosts of Culicoides imicola in Europe and a review of its blood-feeding patterns worldwide: implications for the transmission of bluetongue disease and African horse sicknessCulicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are…

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Weekend reads

Another busy week with no further posts. That should change next week as I have build quite a list of things to write about. Nevertheless, I wanted to ensure that I provide my weekly dose of interesting new reads. Here we go.First molecular identification of the vertebrate hosts of Culicoides imicola in Europe and a review of its blood-feeding patterns worldwide: implications for the transmission of bluetongue disease and African horse sicknessCulicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are…

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Weekend reads

It is Friday again - time for another batch of papers to read over the weekend. Thanks to a very active community there is never a shortage of studies to chose from.Controls on eDNA movement in streams: Transport, Retention, and ResuspensionAdvances in detection of genetic material from species in aquatic ecosystems, including environmental DNA (eDNA), have improved species monitoring and management. eDNA from target species can readily move in streams and rivers and the goal…

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Weekend reads

It is Friday again - time for another batch of papers to read over the weekend. Thanks to a very active community there is never a shortage of studies to chose from.Controls on eDNA movement in streams: Transport, Retention, and ResuspensionAdvances in detection of genetic material from species in aquatic ecosystems, including environmental DNA (eDNA), have improved species monitoring and management. eDNA from target species can readily move in streams and rivers and the goal…

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A look into a rumen

Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)Dietary choices are central to our understanding of ecology and evolution. Still, many aspects of food choice have been hampered by time consuming procedures and methodological problems. Faster and cheaper methods, such as DNA metabarcoding, have therefore been widely adopted.Traditional visual techniques based on morphology for diet analysis are often limited in their ability to identify all items found in a stomach. Unrecognizable content has to be ignored which can shift relative proportions…

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Biodiversity and climate warming

Meadow plots at Long-Term Ecological Research Station in Cedar CreekClimate warming is predicted to alter species interactions, which could potentially lead to extinction events. However, there is an ongoing debate whether the effects of warming on biodiversity may be moderated by biodiversity itself.A team of ecologists from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the University of Minnesota conducted long-running field experiments in 30 different meadow plots, some with only one plant species…

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Weekend reads

Another week comes to an end and I have a few things I recommend reading. Enjoy!Barcoding rotifer biodiversity in Mediterranean ponds using diapausing egg banksThe biodiversity of Mediterranean freshwater bodies is among the most threatened worldwide; therefore, its accurate estimation is an urgent issue. However, traditional methods are likely to underestimate freshwater zooplankton biodiversity due to its high species seasonality and cryptic diversity. We test the value of applying DNA barcoding to diapausing egg banks,…

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