The Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University successfully conducted a four-day residential taxonomic workshop at Station Linné, focusing on modern techniques for species determination of Hymenoptera (wasps) and Diptera (flies). This intensive course formed part of the Oak Project’s capacity-building initiative to strengthen Swedish taxonomic expertise.
Senior taxonomic experts and ten biology students from Linköping University and other institutions worked collaboratively on lesser-known families of Hymenoptera and Diptera collected during 2024–2025 in southeastern Sweden’s deciduous forests, with particular emphasis on oak-dominated habitats. Participants received practical training in morphological identification, DNA extraction procedures, and bioinformatic analysis methods whilst establishing a sustainable junior–senior taxonomic network.
The workshop was funded by Svenska artprojektet (Swedish Species Project) through SLU Artdatabanken as part of a 455,000 SEK grant programme supporting seven organisations. This funding scheme specifically targets networking activities that enhance taxonomic knowledge in Sweden, with emphasis on facilitating knowledge exchange between early-career and senior taxonomic specialists, particularly for less well-studied organism groups.
This workshop contributes to long-term monitoring and taxonomic capacity development within Swedish forest ecosystems, supporting both fundamental biodiversity research and conservation priorities.