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LepEU : A Consortium to Study the Population Genomics of Butterflies and Moths Across Europe

Beldade, Patrícia ; Vila, Marta ; Arif, Saad ; Bourgois, Audrey ; Bridle, Jon ; Després, Laurence ; Elias, Marianne ; Espeland, Marianne ; Fric, Zdenek F. and Matos-Maraví, Pável , et al. (2026) In Evolutionary Applications 19(5).
Abstract

LepEU, the European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortium, was launched in 2023 to coordinate continental-scale collections and generate population-level genomic data for butterflies and moths across Europe. Its whole-genome resequencing strategy takes advantage of the growing availability of reference genomes for Lepidoptera. LepEU supports scalable, standardized sampling and sequencing to quantify genetic diversity and population resilience. These data will allow addressing long-standing questions about geographic patterns of biodiversity in this iconic clade for evolutionary ecology, while also filling critical gaps in biodiversity monitoring and conservation. The consortium's first in-person workshop was held in Montpellier... (More)

LepEU, the European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortium, was launched in 2023 to coordinate continental-scale collections and generate population-level genomic data for butterflies and moths across Europe. Its whole-genome resequencing strategy takes advantage of the growing availability of reference genomes for Lepidoptera. LepEU supports scalable, standardized sampling and sequencing to quantify genetic diversity and population resilience. These data will allow addressing long-standing questions about geographic patterns of biodiversity in this iconic clade for evolutionary ecology, while also filling critical gaps in biodiversity monitoring and conservation. The consortium's first in-person workshop was held in Montpellier (France) in 2025 and was supported by the COST Action 10kLepGenomes. It gathered 23 researchers from 10 countries, including experts in Lepidoptera ecology, evolution, and population genomics. Building on 2 years of video conferencing, the workshop enabled participants to draw a roadmap for trans-continental standardized sampling, isolate DNA of specimens collected during 2024, outline key research questions for LepEU, and discuss an outreach strategy to engage additional stakeholders. LepEU is coordinating with other international networks and consortia to develop a collaborative platform for tracking European lepidopteran biodiversity and evolution. Looking ahead, LepEU is focused on training and mentoring the next generation of scientists, empowering them to integrate genomic analyses with phenotypic and ecological data to address ecological, evolutionary, and conservation questions.

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author collaboration
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
biodiversity management, clinal variation, conservation genomics, demographic history, insect decline, lepidoptera, local adaptation, phylogeography, population genomics, population structure
in
Evolutionary Applications
volume
19
issue
5
article number
e70246
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105038965801
  • pmid:42131428
ISSN
1752-4571
DOI
10.1111/eva.70246
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c5e422e8-d067-4fc4-b900-6d2a0ec3f66a
date added to LUP
2026-08-20 14:01:32
date last changed
2026-09-03 15:01:57
@article{c5e422e8-d067-4fc4-b900-6d2a0ec3f66a,
  abstract     = {{<p>LepEU, the European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortium, was launched in 2023 to coordinate continental-scale collections and generate population-level genomic data for butterflies and moths across Europe. Its whole-genome resequencing strategy takes advantage of the growing availability of reference genomes for Lepidoptera. LepEU supports scalable, standardized sampling and sequencing to quantify genetic diversity and population resilience. These data will allow addressing long-standing questions about geographic patterns of biodiversity in this iconic clade for evolutionary ecology, while also filling critical gaps in biodiversity monitoring and conservation. The consortium's first in-person workshop was held in Montpellier (France) in 2025 and was supported by the COST Action 10kLepGenomes. It gathered 23 researchers from 10 countries, including experts in Lepidoptera ecology, evolution, and population genomics. Building on 2 years of video conferencing, the workshop enabled participants to draw a roadmap for trans-continental standardized sampling, isolate DNA of specimens collected during 2024, outline key research questions for LepEU, and discuss an outreach strategy to engage additional stakeholders. LepEU is coordinating with other international networks and consortia to develop a collaborative platform for tracking European lepidopteran biodiversity and evolution. Looking ahead, LepEU is focused on training and mentoring the next generation of scientists, empowering them to integrate genomic analyses with phenotypic and ecological data to address ecological, evolutionary, and conservation questions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Beldade, Patrícia and Vila, Marta and Arif, Saad and Bourgois, Audrey and Bridle, Jon and Després, Laurence and Elias, Marianne and Espeland, Marianne and Fric, Zdenek F. and Matos-Maraví, Pável and Nam, Kiwoong and Poloni, Riccardo and Repullés, Mar and Saastamoinen, Marjo and Steward, Rachel A. and Tunström, Kalle and Ulaşli, Başak and Valentino, Teo and Weinhold, Arne and Wiemers, Martin and Bailey, Richard I. and Blaxter, Mark and Dincă, Vlad and Lucek, Kay and Meier, Joana I. and Nielsen, Matthew E. and Stefanescu, Constantí and Wright, Charlotte J. and Joron, Mathieu and Wheat, Christopher W.}},
  issn         = {{1752-4571}},
  keywords     = {{biodiversity management; clinal variation; conservation genomics; demographic history; insect decline; lepidoptera; local adaptation; phylogeography; population genomics; population structure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Evolutionary Applications}},
  title        = {{LepEU : A Consortium to Study the Population Genomics of Butterflies and Moths Across Europe}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eva.70246}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/eva.70246}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}