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Netherlands Taxonomic Facility (NL-TAF)
NL-TAF
includes four institutes. Jointly these institutes constitute
a fully complementary facility on all aspects of biodiversity science,
covering all major organismal branches of the Tree of Life. All
institutes are located in the central and western part of the Netherlands.
The distance between the institutes is short, allowing for easy
interaction. Public transportation between the institutes is excellent.
NL-TAF Partner Institutions
Collections & expertise
NL-TAF is based on large and well-documented scientific collections of
zoological, botanical, palaeontological and geological specimens,
and fungal and bacteria strains. They comprise a total of over
30 million specimens, containing 280,000 primary types. Absolutely
unique are the filamentous fungal, yeast and bacterial strains,
as is the extraordinary coverage of the Malesian region, in all
possible aspects. World-class strengths are numerous; a
selection is listed below.
The physical arrangement and accessibility
of the collections are of the highest standards. Through focused
digitisation efforts many of the particularly important groups in
the collections are completely accessible digitally, e.g. all of
CBS, types at NHN, pisces at NNM and invertebrates at Zoological
Museum Amsterdam. Altogether, the databases add up to over a million
records. Excluding entomology and molluscs, they cover almost 40%
of the collections. A variety of other digital directories is also
accessible for visiting researchers. The staff is dedicated towards
supporting visiting researchers, which is reflected in the internal
procedures to provide quality and efficiency.
The
large libraries that serve NL-TAF belong to the best in Europe.
They comprise all taxonomic, theoretical and technical literature
that is essential for scientists working in the facility.
NL-TAF
scientists are experts in a variety of zoological, botanical, mycological,
microbiological and geological disciplines. They are at the forefront
of a wide range of biodiversity assessment projects and biodiversity
informatics developments. Having several centuries-old histories
of diverse detailed monitoring projects and processing the data
of many, many millions of resulting records, NL-TAF scientists are
experts in combining collection-based, observational, chronological,
GIS and functional ecological data and in the field of risk assessments
of genetically modified plants based on dispersal codes.
The scientific and technical staff is trained to support
visiting scientists, primarily in commonly defined research projects,
to promote optimal results. In addition, the electronic publishing
facilities are open to users and enable worldwide dissemination
of conclusions. The Expert Centre for Taxonomic Identification has
set and constantly improves standards of entering, storing and exchanging
taxonomic data and disseminating this expertise (online and offline).
Supporting
analytical facilities
In addition, the facility includes well-equipped molecular
biology laboratories, including a DNA facility, IT and bio-informatics
units, and excellent libraries. The recently developed 'ancient
DNA laboratory' allows for the analysis of DNA from old museum and
herbarium specimens and forensic samples. The laboratories constitute
the whole range of equipment and facilities for biochemical analysis,
molecular sequencing, primer and micro-array development, transgenic
facilities, transmission and scanning microscopic services, and
other physical instrumentation. Special laboratory teams support
the range of projects that utilise these facilities.
NL-TAF's
has an intimate co-operation with the Expert Centre for Taxonomic
Information (ETI), which produces its own software packages and
online products for biodiversity information. Further advanced computer
facilities and multimedia labs offer novel interactive software
for biodiversity documentation, taxonomic classification and identification,
GIS plotting, and other supporting software modules.
The combination of collections, libraries,
laboratories and advanced information technology offers excellent
tools, means and training for visiting scientists to collect observations,
analyse the data, and to create biodiversity expert systems.
List
of facilities (Excel)
Some particular strengths of NL-TAF collections
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Overall, ca. 280,000 type specimens, including
typical strengths for tropical regions (SE Asia, Latin America,
marine environment) at all institutes.
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Specific groups: Aves (NNM), Carabidae (ZMA, NNM), Cichlidae
(NNM), Atlantic Cetaceans (UvA), Chiroptera (UvA), Crustacea
(NNM), Diptera (UvA), plant pathogenic and soil fungi (CBS),
Hymenoptera (NNM), Lepidoptera (NNM, ZMA), Marine brown algae
(NHN), Odonata (NNM), Orchids of SE Asia (NHN), Pleistocene
fossils ofSE Asia (NNM), Porifera (UvA), Scarabaeoidea (NNM).
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With
over six million herbarium specimens, the oldest going back
to the fifteenth century, NHN has the best collection for
the Malesian region, the Guyanas (especially Surinam), tropical
West Africa (especially tree species) and Macaronesia (marine
algae). For several major clades the diversity of collections
(including types) is greater than anywhere else, e.g. Malesian
Dipterocarpaceae and Orchids; West African Caesalpinoids;
European Agarics and Neotropical Annonaceae.
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Many
groups within NL-TAF are extensively databased, at NHN, 45,000 type specimens are imaged and accessible on the
web. The CBS collections are completely digitised, as are
the NNM fishes, and UvA invertebrates. Some specific databases
(e.g.Yeasts of the World, Fusarium, Penicillium,
Aspergillus, Mycosphaerella, Phyllosticta,
Aphyllophorales) are the world standards for these
groups. If not online, these databases can be accessed at
the NL-TAF institutes.
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20% of all the known fungal biodiversity
has been cultured. CBS contains unique populations for several
fungal and yeast species, and cultures of all known species
of several genera of medical and industrial importance. Herbarium
specimens supplement the collection.
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Examples
of special expertise represented by NL-TAF staff
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NL-TAF
has the world authorities in fungal taxonomy of genera involved
with specific niches, namely medical mycology, indoor air
and food mycology, phytomycology, yeasts, and industrial mycology.
For each of these, it has a set of international standard
fungal cultures in its collection, a course, databases and
the experts that co-ordinate each programme. NL-TAF houses
the European centre for Expertise in Mycology.
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Zoological excellence includes Amphibians, Loricariid
Catfish, Chaetognats, Copepods, fungiid and soft Corals, amphipod and groundwater Crustaceans, Demosponges, marine Microgastropods,
parasitic Hymenoptera, Microlepidoptera, Odonata, Palaearctic Passerine Birds,
Rhopalocera, Syrphidae,
Tipulidiae, Tortricids,
freshwater Triclads, SE
Asian pleistocene vertebrates, butterflies and cicades, and
marine zooplankton.
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Botanical
excellence includes Annonaceae, Begoniaceae, Cucurbitaceae,
Orchidaceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Geraniaceae, Leguminosae
and Polypodiaceae. Algal systematics based on ultrastructure
and DNA analysis; floristics and systematics of NW European
Agaricales; systematic and functional/ecological wood anatomy
and pollen morphology; risk assessments based on dispersal
codes, cultivated plant taxonomy, geneflow from cultivated
plants to wild flora, and increasingly, ancient DNA isolation
and analysis of old herbarium material and forensic plant
fragments are well developed.
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Palaeontologal excellence is broad and supported by collections
in most taxonomic groups.
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Biogeography
(including methodology) of SE Asian
plants and terrestrial and marine animal is well developed.
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Capacity
building in plant taxonomy and systematics in the mega-biodiverse
tropical regions (NHN).
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The
NL-TAF institutes have longstanding history of intensive co-operation
with monitoring organisations in interdisciplinary Global
Change and Conservation Programmes, resulting in observational
databases of many millions of records spanning periods of
more than a century.
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Netherlands Gemmological Laboratory provides specialisation
in emerald research (Geology, Gemmology and Origin of emerald
deposits) and educational programmes in advanced Gemmology.
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