Insect Barcoding with Ecology

🔍 At Stone Barns Center we rigorously monitor the biodiversity of the insects found in and around our growing spaces, because they play such an important role in our ecological web and food system.
🪰 The presence of specific insect varieties gives us clues about what's happening in our farm's ecology. Some are directly affected by soil health and help incorporate organic material into the soil. Some are affected by plant diversity and shape that diversity through their pollination, seed dispersal, and predation. Some insects are the primary food source for many of the birds in our region and are crucial during the birds' breeding season.
🧬 Our Deputy Director of Ecology, Elijah Goodwin, explains how we use DNA barcoding technology to conduct species-level identification. Not only do we use this information to contribute to regional and global barcode libraries, but we are also developing biodiversity sampling processes that are cost-and time-effective for small farms.