Torbjørn Ekrem
Background and activities
Research interests
I am interested in evolution, systematics and biogeography, in particular of non-biting midges of the family Chironomidae (Diptera). My research focuses on taxonomy, biology, phylogeny, zoogeography and molecular systematics of genera and species in the tribe Tanytarsini, but I am also involved in work with other groups of animals and plants. Among these, tardigrades through the project Tardigrades in Norwegian forests.
The last few years I have been heavily involved in various projects testing and using DNA barcoding in biosystematics. I am currently chairing the Norwegian Barcode of Life network and project (NorBOL) which is a national research infrastructure on DNA Barcoding. NorBOL aims to develop a barcode reference database for Norwegian species to support barcoding in applied projects (such as EBAI). I am also involved in the COST action DNAqua-Net as member of the Management Committee and co-lead of the working group on reference libraries.
Teaching
The last couple of years I have lectured courses in biosystematics, biogeography and molecular techniques (BI1002, BI2001 and BI8002) at the NTNU Department of Biology.
Scientific collections
I am curator of Diptera, Hymenoptera, Arachnida and a few minor insect orders at the NTNU University Museum.
Scientific, academic and artistic work
Displaying a selection of activities. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2020) BAGS: An automated Barcode, Audit & Grade System for DNA barcode reference libraries. Molecular Ecology Resources. vol. 21 (2).
- (2020) An urban Blitz with a twist: rapid biodiversity assessment using aquatic environmental DNA. Environmental DNA. vol. 3 (1).
- (2020) The Chironomidae (Diptera) of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Insects. vol. 11:183 (3).
- (2019) The terrestrial invertebrate fauna of Edgeøya, Svalbard: Arctic landscape community composition reflects biogeography patterns. Polar Biology. vol. 42 (5).
- (2019) A new dawn for chironomids in freshwater biomonitoring?. Chironomus Journal of Chironomidae Research.
- (2019) Abstracts from the 8th International Barcode of Life Conference in Trondheim, Norway. Genome. vol. 62 (6).
- (2019) Back from the Past: DNA Barcodes and Morphology Support Ablabesmyia americana Fittkau as a Valid Species (Diptera: Chironomidae). Diversity. vol. 11 (9).
- (2019) DNA metabarcoding adds valuable information for management of biodiversity in roadside stormwater ponds. Ecology and Evolution. vol. 9 (17).
- (2019) DNA barcode reference libraries for the monitoring of aquatic biota in Europe: Gap-analysis and recommendations for future work. Science of the Total Environment. vol. 678.
- (2018) DNA barcode data reveal biogeographic trends in Arctic non-biting midges. Genome. vol. 61 (11).
- (2018) Nuclear and mitochondrial markers suggest new species boundaries in Alloxysta (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae). Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny. vol. 76 (3).
- (2018) Exploring species boundaries with multiple genetic loci using empirical data from non-biting midges. Zoologica Scripta. vol. 47 (3).
- (2018) Molecular phylogeny and temporal diversification of Tanytarsus van der Wulp (Diptera: Chironomidae) support generic synonymies, a new classification and centre of origin. Systematic Entomology. vol. 43 (4).
- (2018) Environmental DNA filtration techniques affect recovered biodiversity. Scientific Reports. vol. 8.
- (2018) Choice of DNA extraction method affects DNA metabarcoding of unsorted invertebrate bulk samples. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics. vol. 2.
- (2018) A new surface gliding species of Chironomidae: An independent invasion of marine environments and its evolutionary implications. Zoologica Scripta. vol. 48 (1).
- (2017) DNA barcoding for species identification of insect skins: A test on Chironomidae (Diptera) pupal exuviae. Journal of Insect Science. vol. 17 (6, 111).
- (2017) DNA barcodes and morphology reveal unrecognized species in Chironomidae (Diptera). Insect Systematics & Evolution.
- (2016) Phylogenetic relationships of nonbiting midges in the subfamily Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) inferred from morphology. Systematic Entomology. vol. 41 (1).
- (2016) Investigating suburban micromoth diversity using DNA barcoding of malaise trap samples. Urban Ecosystems. vol. 20.
- (2016) New combinations of Afrotropical Chironomini (Diptera: Chironomidae). Chironomus Journal of Chironomidae Research.
- (2016) Species delimitation in northern European water scavenger beetles of the genus Hydrobius (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae). ZooKeys. vol. 2016 (564).
- (2016) Ancient origin and maternal inheritance of blue cuckoo eggs. Nature Communications. vol. 7.
- (2016) Trace DNA from insect skins: a comparison of five extraction protocols and direct PCR on chironomid pupal exuviae. Molecular Ecology Resources. vol. 16 (1).
- (2016) DNAqua-Net: Developing new genetic tools for bioassessment and monitoring of aquatic ecosystems in Europe. Research Ideas and Outcomes_RIO. vol. 2.
- (2015) Out of South America: phylogeny of non-biting midges in the genus Labrundinia suggests multiple dispersal events to Central and North America. Zoologica Scripta. vol. 44 (1).
- (2015) Exploring genetic divergence in a species-rich insect genus using 2790 DNA barcodes. PLOS ONE. vol. 10:e0138993 (9).
- (2015) A review of Norwegian Gymnometriocnemus (Diptera, Chironomidae) including the description of two new species and a new name for Gymnometriocnemus volitans (Goetghebuer) sensu Brundin. ZooKeys. vol. 508.
Books
- (2014) A taxonomic revision of genus Labrundinia Fittkau, 1962 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae). Magnolia Press. 2014. ISBN 978-1-77557-342-5. Zootaxa (1).
Part of book/report
- (2018) Why We Need Sustainable Networks Bridging Countries, Disciplines, Cultures and Generations for Aquatic Biomonitoring 2.0: A Perspective Derived From the DNAqua-Net COST Action. Next generation biomonitoring: Part 1.
- (2017) Chironomidae (non-biting midges). Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Volume 2: Nematocerous Diptera and lower Brachycera.
- (2016) Willi Hennig's legacy in the Nordic countries. The future of phylogenetic systematics.
Report/dissertation
- (2020) Kriterier for lagring av miljø-DNA prøver og data, herunder henvisning til referansemateriale. Criteria for depositing eDNA samples and data, including vouchered specimens. 2020.
- (2020) Metabarcoding for use in Nordic routine aquatic biomonitoring - a validation study. 2020. ISBN 978-92-893-6806-3. TemaNord (538).
- (2020) Forslag til nasjonal insektovervåking. Erfaringer fra et pilotforsøk samt en nytte-kostnadsanalyse. 2020. ISBN 978-82-426-3479-5. NINA rapport (1725).
- (2019) DNA-metastrekkoding til undersøkelser av invertebrater i ferskvann. 2019. ISBN 978-82-8322-204-3. NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet naturhistorisk notat (10).
- (2019) Nasjonal overvåking av insekter. Behovsanalyse og forslag til overvåkingsprogram. 2019. ISBN 978-82-426-3287-6. NINA rapport (1549).