Collaborations

Contribution to the DNA Barcoding of Life initiative

The International Barcode of Life project (iBOL) is a large international initiative, which was organized by the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario at the University of Guelph with support from Genome Canada. The contributions of JEMU to this initiative are multiple:

Collaboration with BopCo (Barcoding of Organisms and tissues of Policy Concern)

BopCo aims at developing a virtual laboratory, expertise forum and databank network facilitating the identification of biological samples of policy concern. Such identifications can rely on “traditional” morphology-based approaches requiring taxonomic expertise and/or DNA-based techniques demanding lab skills and access to a molecular laboratory.

Implementation of tissue and DNA collections in natural history collections

Between 2012 and 2015, JEMU collaborated with the AGORA-MOLCOL project (jointly run by RMCA and RBINS) in order to implement tissue and DNA collections in the Belgian natural history collections. The collaboration resulted in a set of standards and protocols to optimally collect samples in the field, extract DNA, store tissue and DNA in an integrated system, feed, manage and share a collection database. In addition, next-generation sequencing techniques were tested on museum specimens in order to explore the interest of applying these new technologies on older material in the field molecular systematics. Here is more info on the project.

Other collaborations in Belgium and abroad (non exhaustive list)

Many ad hoc collaborations have been established since 2007 with JEMU with federal institutions (NICC, NBGB, BCCM, FASFC, ...), regional partners (ITM, CRC, PIH, different universities, ...) and other departments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (University of Kisangani), USA (University of New Orleans, Department of Biological Sciences), France (Université de Rennes 1, Station Biologique de Paimpont), Switzerland (University of Lausanne, Lausanne Center for Integrative Genomics) etc.

Belgian collaborators

  • Artois, Tom: University of Hasselt – Department of Biology – Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology – Hasselt. Keywords: phylogeny – Plathyhelminthes – taxonomy.
  • Boevé, Jean-Luc: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels - Department of Entomology – Keywords: Nematinae – taxonomy - chemical ecology.
  • Bourguignon, Thomas: Université Libre de Bruxelles - Evolutionary Biology and Ecology – Brussels. Keywords: Anoplotermes – taxonomy – ecology.
  • Breugelmans, Karin: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Invertebrates – Brussels. Keywords: phylogeny – population genetics – Mollusca.
  • Coosemans, Marc / Van Bortel, Wim: Institute of Tropical Medicine – Unit of Medical Entomology – Antwerp. Keywords: medical entomology – malaria – parasitology.
  • Dall’Asta, Ugo: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Entomology – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – Lepidoptera – taxonomy.
  • Delsinne, Thibaut: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Education and Nature, Biological Evaluation Section – Brussels. Keywords: biodiversity – nature conservation – tropical ecology.
  • De Prins, Jurate: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Entomology – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – Lepidoptera – taxonomy.
  • Desmyter, Stijn / Braet, Yves: National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology – Brussels. Keywords: Forensic sciences – Diptera – molecular diagnostics
  • Fassotte, Christianne: Centre Wallon de Recherches Agronomiques – Unité: Protection des plantes et écotoxicologie – Gembloux. Keywords: pest control – plant protection –midges.
  • Gilissen, Emmanuel: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Vertebrates – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – mammals – taxonomy.
  • Gobin, Bruno: PC Fruit, Afdeling Zoologie – Sint-Truiden. Keywords: biological pest control – insects – earwigs.
  • Grootaert, Patrick: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Entomology – Brussels. Keywords: Empididae – phylogeny – taxonomy.
  • Helsen, Philippe: Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp. Keywords: population genomics – conservation - Eurasian black vulture.
  • Havermans, Charlotte: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Department of Education and Nature, Freshwater Biology – Brussels. Keywords: Amphipoda – taxonomy – phylogeny.
  • Hendrickx, Frederik: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Entomology – Brussels. Keywords: phylogeography – speciation – spiders.
  • Jocque, Rudy: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Invertebrates non-insects – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – spiders – taxonomy.
  • Leirs, Herwig: University of Antwerp – Department of Biology – Antwerp. Keywords: ecological modelling – pest control – vertebrates.
  • Leponce, Maurice: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Education and Nature, Biological Evaluation Section – Brussels. Keywords: social insect – biodiversity – nature conservation.
  • Louette, Michel: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Vertebrates – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – birds – taxonomy.
  • Martens, Koen: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Department of Education and Nature, Freshwater Biology – Brussels. Keywords: Ostracoda – taxonomy - aquatic biodiversity.
  • Martin, Patrick: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Department of Education and Nature, Freshwater Biology – Brussels. Keywords: Oligochaeta – taxonomy – ecology.
  • Prévot, Vanya: Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Invertebrates – Brussels. Keywords: phylogeny – population genetics – Mollusca.
  • Schön, Isabelle: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Department of Education and Nature, Freshwater Biology – Brussels. Keywords: Ostracoda – evolutionary ecology – asexual/sexual reproduction.
  • Snoeks, Jos: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Vertebrates – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – ichthyology – taxonomy.
  • Thieren, Els: University of Leuven – Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics –    Leuven. Keywords: Sturgeon – North sea – archival and ancient DNA.
  • Verheyen, Erik: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Department of Vertebrates – Brussels. Keywords: Africa – vertebrates – molecular taxonomy.
  • Virgilio, Massimiliano: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Entomology – Tervuren. Keywords: Tephritidae – molecular taxonomy – phylogeny.
  • Volckaert, Filip: University of Leuven – Department of Biology – Leuven. Keywords: conservation genetics – Ichthyology – population genetics.
  • Vreven, Emmanuel: Royal Museum for Central Africa – Department of Vertebrates – Tervuren. Keywords: Africa – ichthyology – taxonomy.

Foreign collaborators (non exhaustive list)

  • Barr, Norman: Center for Plant Health Science and Technology – USDA-Aphis – Edinburg – USA. Keywords: molecular taxonomy – pest control – Tephritidae.
  • Browne, David: Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp – Antwerp – Belgium. Keywords: Belize – land gastropods – conservation genetics.
  • Devalez Jelle: University of the Aegean – Mytilene – Greece. Keywords: Bee – Seladonia – Phylogeography.
  • Frias Martins, Antonio: University of the Azores – Department of Biology – São Miguel (Azores) – Portugal. Keywords: Azores – land snails – taxonomy.
  • Glaw, Frank: Zoologische Staatssammlung Muenchen – Munich – Germany. Keywords: herpetology – Madagascar – systematics.
  • Greenbaum, Eli: University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, USA. Keywords: herpetology – DR Congo – systematics.
  • Guschanski, Katerina: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology – Leipzig - Germany. Keywords: archival DNA – Great apes – phylogeny.
  • Hawlitschek, Oliver: Zoologische Staatssammlung München. Keywords: Comoros – snakes –taxonomy.
  • Kielgast, Jos: University of Copenhagen – Copenhagen – Denmark. Keywords: Amphibia – DR Congo – systematics.
  • Lees, David: Institut national de la Recherche Agronomique – Orléans – France. Keywords: biogeography – conservation genetics – Lepidoptera.
  • Leonard, Janet: University of California-Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz – USA. Keywords: Ariolimacidae – hermaphroditism – paternity analysis.
  • Lopez-Vaamonde, Carlos: Institut national de la Recherche Agronomique – Orléans – France. Keywords: conservation genetics – Lepidoptera – population genetics.
  • McDonnell, Rory: University of California – Department of Entomology – Riverside – USA. Keywords: applied ecology – invasive gastropods – land slugs.
  • Caroline Müller: Bielefeld University – Department of Chemical Ecology – Bielefeld – Germany. Keywords: Athalia – phylogeny – ancestral state reconstruction.
  • Parker, Dave: Aarhus University – Department of Genetics and Ecology – Aarhus – Denmark. Keywords: invasion biology – land slugs – population genetics.
  • Quintana Cardona, Josip: Institut Catala de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona – Barcelona – Spain. Keywords: invasion biology – flatworms – Balearic Islands.
  • Slotsbo, Stine: Aarhus University – Department of Biological Sciences – Aarhus – Denmark. Keywords: cold resistance – land slugs – physiology.
  • Vences, Miguel: Technical University of Braunschweig – Braunschweig – Germany. Keywords: Herpetology – Madagascar – systematics.
  • Vidal, Nicolas: National Museum of Natural History Paris. Keywords: Africa – snakes – systematics.
  • Wuester, Wolfgang: University of Bangor, United Kingdom. Keywords: Africa – snakes – systematics.
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith