CBGCollections
50 Stone Road E N1G2W1 Guelph, ON, Canada

Job alert! The Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (CCDB) at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph is hiring two laboratory technicians... to work on a range of exciting biodiversity-related research projects. Apply here: https://www.uoguelph.ca//research-technician-ii-canadian-c #careers #technology #innovation #DNAbarcoding #UniversityofGuelph #UofG #biodiversity

A big congratulations to our team on breaking an all-time record - processing over 1 million arthropod specimens for DNA barcoding in a single year! 2020 was a challenging year to say the least, so we thank our team - and everyone here at @CBG_UofG - for being so adaptable and resilient to keep all our @iBOLConsortium projects moving forward in 2020. To celebrate, check out one of our recently sorted specimens from the #BioAlfa project, collected in @ACGuanacaste, Costa Rica. This specimen is a Big-eared Blister Beetle (genus Cissites), whose larvae parasitize carpenter bees.

https://www.nytimes.com///03/science/beetle-frog-poop.html

Meet the sloth moth! This is one of several species of moth that live exclusively in the fur of sloths. When a sloth descends to the forest floor to defecate, t...he adult female moths fly off and lay their eggs in its dung. The larvae feed on the dung and upon becoming adults they return to the canopy to find a new sloth home. #NationalMothWeek See more

https://www.wired.com//stuck-at-home-scientists-discover-9

Watch this incredible video of a moose not at all impressed with our Malaise trap for insect collecting at one of our partner sites in Quebec. Video Credit: Monts-Valin National Park, Sépaq. The trap was relocated to not disturb the moose further #FieldWorkFail #wildlifecamera #moose #notimpressed #insects #insecttrap #Quebec #SEPAQ #BIOSCAN #IlluminateBiodiversity #DNAbarcoding #biodiversity #MalaiseTrap #wildlife

Right now, biodiversity is being catalogued across Costa Rica by the BIOSCAN research project, BioAlfa (Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund). This is what h...appens to the specimens after they have been collected: The samples are transported all the way to Guelph, Ontario, where they are sorted by our dedicated CBGCollections team. The first image is of a petri dish containing unsorted material from one of the BioAlfa traps in Costa Rica. This is a relatively small sample, of around 500 insects. Each insect in this dish was sorted and prepared for further processing, sequencing, and identification. The larger specimens are sorted out first, and any samples < 5mm in size are migrated to the round well bottom plates for photographing. Our collections team is able to obtain incredibly detailed specimen images thanks to high-powered microscope imaging. These samples are placed into the queue for the Keyence, and soon we will have obtained stunning photos of these specimens! (Photos by: Jayme Sones, Collections Manager) #insect #biodiversity #arthropods #science #biology #climatechange #BIOSCAN

We would like to share some photos of the samples being processed by CBGCollections! Currently, our Natural History Collection has over 5 million specimens. Rec...ent development of high-throughput workflows have permitted the rapid collection, processing, and sequencing of such a massive amount of specimens. With the launch of the BIOSCAN research program, CBG Collections hopes to grow this collection by 1-2 million specimens each year! You may be wondering, why is the cataloging of specimens so important? It is because this allows for the monitoring and conservation of organisms across the planet, as well as identification of new species! This is especially vital as we face growing threats to Earth’s biodiversity, and we are unable to replace any species lost to extinction. Please join us in our celebration of biodiversity by checking out the unique insects photographed above. Once again, thank you to Jayme Sones, our Collections Manager, for sharing her hard work! These specimens were collected from Costa Rican Malaise Traps thanks to the Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund. Pictured Above: (1) Pseudoscorpion (2) Phengodidae, Glow Worm Beetle (3) Large Orthoptera (4) Tiny Pink Wasp, with forceps tip for scale. #insect #biodiversity #arthropods #science #biology #climatechange #BIOSCAN