All Dutchspecies
As the national biodiversity institute of the Netherlands, Naturalis wants to be able to recognize all species in the country by their DNA. Currently, the focus is on the roughly 45,000 multicellular species. Combining our already available barcodes and fresh specimens collected by a team of experts in the field and by partner institutes, we aim to get an ever more complete overview of all species in the country.
This can be done in your country too, and we’re happy to tell you more! In addition, we have set up a cost-efficient high throughput barcoding method in which we can generate DNA barcodes from old collection material by means of genome skimming. As a result, older collections can contribute to the generation of valuable DNA barcodes.
Metabarcoding forbiodiversity monitoring
With a state-of-the-art reference DNA database, environmental DNA becomes a powerful tool for assessing the state of biodiversity. We are currently building a national infrastructure for eDNA research, able to process 100.000 samples every year. It will also provide a baseline measurement of 300.000 samples from all over the country, highlighting the “hidden biodiversity” present in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, that are commonly overlooked in traditional sampling.
Connecting barcodesto genomes, EU-wide
We focus on native species, but we don’t stop at the border! By bringing together Europe’s key practitioners in two fundamental DNA-based technologies – DNA barcoding and genome sequencing – our project Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) will streamline the rollout of these methods across Europe.
The ultimate goal of BGE is to scale up the use of genomic science in Europe to increase our understanding of biodiversity, monitor biodiversity change, and guide interventions to address its decline. For this purpose, the BGE consortium is working to establish biodiversity genomics networks at the European level - of which iBOL Europe is one. We also aim to build capacity for genomic data production across countries and improve the efficacy of management interventions and biomonitoring programmes with sound genomic tools.
Cleaner andgreener!
By refining the protocols for DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing, we have managed to drastically reduce the amount of plastic used for our barcodes with about 50%. This also reduces the costs and increases the accessibility - talk to us about the possibilities.
