European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortium
LepEU is focused upon understanding and conserving the biodiversity of butterflies and moths.
We coordinate the sampling of wild populations of Lepidoptera across Europe. We take the DNA from these individuals to generate whole genome sequencing data of regional populaion samples for each species. Our goal is to conduct continental scale, comparative population genomic analyses of local adaptation, over space and time.
Insect declines, especially among diverse Lepidoptera, are now well documented. By learning the landscape of evolutionary dynamics for diverse Lepidoptera, LepEU seeks to inform biodiversity management at both the regional and EU level.
LepEU relies upon the 1000’s of reference genomes that are being generated by Project Psyche. We seek to compliment these efforts with population genomic insights.