i5k Arthropod Genomes

The i5k initiative plans to sequence the genomes of 5,000 insect and related arthropod species over the next 5 years. This project will be transformative because it aims to sequence the genomes of all insect species known to be important to worldwide agriculture, food safety, medicine, and energy production; all those used as models in biology; the most abundant in world ecosystems; and representatives in every branch of insect phylogeny so as to achieve a deep understanding of arthropod evolution and phylogeny. We are attempting to make better links between i5k and EOL by populating a Collection with the nominated species and allowing people to interact and comment both here and on the i5k site (arthropodgenomes.org/wiki/i5k).