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United Kingdom Taxonomic Facility (GB-TAF)

GB-TAF Users Sonia Sánchez Martínez, Dr Mihaly Foldvari and Dr Francesco Toscano

If you require any more information on GB-TAF please contact Lyanne at synthesys@nhm.ac.uk

GB-TAF is one of the most important single sources of systematics information. The total of more than 79 million specimens including 1.5 million holotypes and paratypes housed in the three institutions are the cumulative efforts of nearly 300 years of collecting. Much of this material can never be collected again, thus is a unique reference for both biotic and abiotic material. Collectively the institutes below are GB-TAF:

UK-TAF

RBGK is easily reached from NHM by public transport (within 35 minutes travel by a frequent Underground train service). RBGE is reached via direct train and flight services from London Heathrow to Edinburgh International in less than one hour.

GB-TAF at the Natural History Museum (NHM)

Collections | Analytical facilities | Strengths of collections | Staff expertise

NHM provides a centre of excellence for the research on: anthropogenic factors and their impact on our natural environment; agricultural, marine resources and forestry systems; human's ability to control disease; and to measure changes over time at the genetic, organismal and ecosystem levels

Collections & expertise
The key component of the NHM offer is the Collection of 70 million natural history specimens, including 800,000 type specimens. Much of the collections and, particularly, the type specimens are irreplaceable. The 70 million items are housed in secure storage units and well organised in accordance with taxonomic groupings. This includes the Darwin Centre; a state-of-the-art wet facility housing 23 million specimens in alcohol, which was opened in 2002.

In addition to the conventionally preserved material, NHM specimens now include: embryonic material used for the study of plant and animal development - NHM is a world leader in this field of research; frozen tissue and DNA collections.

The libraries, which form the largest natural history reference collection in the world, house over one million volumes and currently receive issues of some 10,000 serials and is supported by 46 staff. The library has built up unrivalled historical collections of taxonomic literature (including historical annotations), being particularly strong in material from Europe.

NHM has an internationally-renowned research, curation and librarian skills base; Staff working with the collections are located in laboratories and offices in close proximity to relevant elements of the collections. The collections and libraries are curated using contemporary techniques by staff, who assist researchers with identifying, locating and preparing the required specimens for their work.

The  full-time researchers, in conjunction with the curatorial and technical staff, provide the key expertise to train Users in specimen identification, the application of taxonomic skills and utilisation of state-of-the-art analytical facilities. For example, NHM staff are especially skilled in maximising DNA replication using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology from a wide range of animal and plant material.

NHM offers staff and visitors alike with an opportunity to work with high-calibre researchers from around the globe in a dynamic working environment. In addition, individually tailored training is provided. Currently.

Supporting analytical facilities

Integral to the NHM access offer are world-class analytical facilities:

Molecular Biology Unit (MBU), comprising top-of-the-range automated DNA sequencers and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines (including gradient machines), alloenzyme electrophoresis, cryogenic freezers, digital gel imaging systems and automated image analysis connected with microscopes, radioisotope suites, UV spectrophotometry. This capacity makes possible research on genetic diversity in agricultural pests, human/animal disease causing organisms, endangered species and the study of developmental biology. A key component of the MBU is the Wolfson Wellcome-Funded Biomedical Laboratories.

Analysis and Imaging Facility (AIF): incorporate state-of-the-art analytical, high-resolution and environmental scanning electron microscopes; electron probe microanalysis; laser ablation with ICPMS; cathodoluminescence; laser confocal microscopy; inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy; inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy; infra-red spectroscopy, and a range of X-ray diffraction facilities with microsource and position sensitive detectors. These facilities, housed in purpose-built suites of laboratories, form an extensive suite of instrumentation enabling a diverse range of natural samples to be studied in a variety of ways. Examples include the non-destructive, high-resolution, visual and compositional analysis of irreplaceable specimens (e.g. in taxonomic studies); chemical and structural analysis of minerals, meteorites, rocks and soils (e.g. in quality and mineral distribution within ore bodies, and environmental pollution studies), and microanalysis of trace components in a variety samples (e.g. the distribution of pollutant in corals and lichens). The Palaeontology Conservation Unit, which is unique in Europe, prepares, maintains and undertakes remedial treatment on fossils, which enable Users to research the evolution of all life forms.

Information Technology and ACCESS
A Beowulf cluster is operated offering high computing power for rapid data analysis. NHM is playing a leading role in establishing universally acceptable data standards and connectivity protocols for collections data.

GB-TAF at Royal Botanic Garden, Kew [RBGK]

Collections | Analytical facilities | Strengths of collections | Staff expertise

Collections & expertise
RBGK has the largest living reference collections in Europe and an extensive preserved collection of vascular plant material and fungi. RBGK has many skilled researchers, curators, affiliates, librarians and archivists.

RBGK will offer access to the:

·  Preserved and reference collections herbarium collections (7,000,000 specimens)

·  Living collections (40,000 taxa)

·  Botanical library (150,000 books and 4,000 journal titles)

Supporting analytical facilities
Access to the material in RBGK's Collection, genome analysis and molecular systematics suite, including a 'state-of-the-art' Genome In-Situ Hybridisation (GISH) capacity, and organic chemistry laboratories will be made available. Users will be integrated into RBGK research including collaborating with the leading plant molecular systematics laboratory in Europe.

List of facilities (Excel)

Information Technology and ACCESS
All of the living collections are databased and can be searched via the web. Five imaging and databasing instruments are now available which will be available to Users. RBGK has very significant plant databases available through ePIC (the electronic plant information centre) including the International Plant Names Index (1.3 million names), SEPASAL (the survey of economic plants from arid and semi arid lands), the DNA c-value database, Kew Record of Taxonomic literature, library catalogue, Fagales, vascular plant families and genera and world grass species.

GB-TAF at Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh [RBGE]

Collections | Analytical facilities | Strengths of collections | Staff expertise

Collections & expertise
RBGE has after RBGK the second largest collection of living plant species in Europe, together with an extensive collection of preserved plant and fungal material. RBGE's technical strengths in vascular and cryptogamic plants, and fungi complement those at NHM and RBGK. RBGE has researchers, curators, technicians and  librarians (Table 3) to assist Users.

Access will be provided to:

·       Herbarium collections of over 2 million plant and fungal specimens, including 50,000 type specimens

·       Living collections with 66,500 plants of over 15,500 different species

·       Botanical library with over 80,000 books and 4,000 journal titles

The library specialises in systematic botany and has material on the following areas: amenity horticulture; garden history and design; landscaping; conservation and botanical illustration. There is a large collection of national and regional floras. The section on flowering and non-flowering plant systematics is of international importance.

Supporting analytical facilities
Includes the new Field Emission Gun SEM, Cytogenetic and Molecular Laboratories - offering the latest technology to facilitate phylogenetic and population genetic research.  This includes the option for cytological study, or extraction and analysis of DNA using the extensive living collections.

Most of the living collections are based at the main RBGE site in Edinburgh, either outside or under glass, but we have three other Gardens at Dawyck, Logan and Benmore, where the climate is either drier, warmer, or much wetter; allowing growth of a very wide range of species (15,500). The herbarium, library, laboratories and most of the living collections are located in close proximity to each other and easily accessible to researchers.

List of facilities (Excel)

Information Technology and ACCESS
All of the living collections (some 66,500 plants with 15,500 different species) and c. 10% herbarium, including an increasing number of type specimens, are databased in BGBASE. The living collections database can be searched via the web. We have developed taxonomic databases for the floras of Bhutan and Arabia, and the families Rosaceae, Umbelliferae and Zingiberaceae.

Particular strengths of GB-TAF collections

Examples of rare staff expertise represented by GB-TAF