Study of northern Ontario insects aims to help increase food production
Northern Ontario is well known for its abundance of bugs.
Now, researchers from southern Ontario are curious to know more about our insects for several reasons, including being part of a larger project to increase food production.
A team from the University of Guelph has set a number of fly traps and is collecting samples.
Tents are being set up in northern Ontario's boreal forest. Known as a 'malaise' tent, it's used to trap insects.
Junior research technician Emily Kyle said they're trying to catch flying insects.
"So they fly into the sides of the trap and then they fly up into the bottle and fall back down into the alcohol bottle," Kyle said. "It traps them.”
Researchers are venturing north because they say there's nothing original left in the south's mixed-wood plains due to urbanization. They say the north is less impacted by humans, which will allow them to do a comparison.
Dirk Steinke, of the University of Guelph, said the goal is to understand the diversity of the bugs in this part of Ontario.
"That’s why we chose particular sites, or particular regions," Steinke said. "We’re tying to understand how much impact we humans already had on these species.”
Kyle said she comes to town every two weeks to collect samples.
"We’ll see what this one has in this sample today," she said. "There’s a lot of flies, moths, and butterflies today, but it’s different every time I come back."
There are 45 tents set up throughout northeastern Ontario. They're in urban locations, provincial parks and areas that have had trees harvested.
"We’re trying to identify everything that is in one of those bottles by using DNA-based methods," Steinke said.
"So there’s a small section of the genome that’s characteristic for each species and then we can tell what types of animals were trapped at the particular time there.”
Officials said some insects can tell us things about the health of the environment.
The project is also part of a bigger program called Food From Thought, a University of Guelph research project looking to develop solutions to improve agricultural production.
The sampling began in May and runs until October.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.