02278nas a2200229   4500008004100000245008600041210006900127300001200196490000700208520153000215653002501745653001201770653001601782653002001798653001601818653002101834100001501855700001701870700001901887700001601906856012601922       2011                        eng d00aMolecular detection of trophic links in a complex insect host-parasitoid food web0 aMolecular detection of trophic links in a complex insect hostpar  a786-7940 v113 aPreviously, host-parasitoid links have been unveiled almost exclusively by time-intensive rearing, while molecular methods were used only in simple agricultural host-parasitoid systems in the form of species-specific primers. Here, we present a general method for the molecular detection of these links applied to a complex caterpillar-parasitoid food web from tropical rainforest of Papua New Guinea. We DNA barcoded hosts, parasitoids and their tissue remnants and matched the sequences to our extensive library of local species. We were thus able to match 87% of host sequences and 36% of parasitoid sequences to species and infer subfamily or family in almost all cases. Our analysis affirmed 93 hitherto unknown trophic links between 37 host species from a wide range of Lepidoptera families and 46 parasitoid species from Hymenoptera and Diptera by identifying DNA sequences for both the host and the parasitoid involved in the interaction. Molecular detection proved especially useful in cases where distinguishing host species in caterpillar stage was difficult morphologically, or when the caterpillar died during rearing. We have even detected a case of extreme parasitoid specialization in a pair of Choreutis species that do not differ in caterpillar morphology and ecology. Using the molecular approach outlined here leads to better understanding of parasitoid host specificity, opens new possibilities for rapid surveys of food web structure and allows inference of species associations not already anticipated.10acytochrome oxidase I10adiptera10aHymenoptera10aimmature stages10alepidoptera10aPapua New Guinea1 aHrcek, Jan1 aMiller, S.E.1 aQuicke, D.L.J.1 aSmith, Alex  uhttps://insectafgseag.myspecies.info/en/content/molecular-detection-trophic-links-complex-insect-host-parasitoid-food-web02450nas a2200253   4500008004100000245013700041210006900178300001200247490000700259520158100266653001101847653002001858653001901878653001101897653002501908100001501933700002001948700001801968700001401986700001702000700001902017700001502036856014502051       2004                        eng d00aDiscriminatory power of different arthropod data sets for the biological monitoring of anthropogenic disturbance in tropical forests0 aDiscriminatory power of different arthropod data sets for the bi  a709-7320 v133 aArthropods were monitored by local parataxonomists at 12 sites of increasing anthropogenic disturbance (old and young secondary forests, savanna and cultivated gardens) at Gamba, Gabon.We report on the discriminatory power of different data sets with regard to the classification of sites along the disturbance gradient, using preliminary data accounting for 13 surveys and 142425 arthropods collected by Malaise, pitfall and yellow-pan traps.We compared the performance of different data sets. These were based upon ordinal, familial and guild composition, or upon 22 target taxa sorted to morphospecies and either considered in toto or grouped within different functional guilds. Finally we evaluated ‘predictor sets’ made up of a few families or other target taxa, selected on the basis of their indicator value index. Although the discriminatory power of data sets based on ordinal categories and guilds was low, that of target taxa belonging to chewers, parasitoids and predators was much higher. The data sets that best discriminated among sites of differing degrees of disturbance were the restricted sets of indicator families and target taxa. This validates the concept of predictor sets for species-rich tropical systems. Including or excluding rare taxa in the analyses did not alter these conclusions.We conclude that calibration studies similar to ours are needed elsewhere in the tropics and that this strategy will allow to devise a representative and efficient biotic index for the biological monitoring of terrestrial arthropod assemblages in the tropics.10aGuilds10aParataxonomists10aPredictor sets10aRarity10aTaxonomic resolution1 aBasset, Y.1 aMavoungou, J.F.1 aMikissa, J.B.1 aMissa, O.1 aMiller, S.E.1 aKitching, R.L.1 aAlonso, A.  uhttps://insectafgseag.myspecies.info/en/content/discriminatory-power-different-arthropod-data-sets-biological-monitoring-anthropogenic-distu