Research carried out by CETAF member institutions on the world’s biological collections generates scientific knowledge on species, their evolutionary relationships and evolutionary history as well as on their influence on the Earth’s ecosystems.
Taxonomic research, involving the study of biological collections, unlocks important information that is essential for the understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This knowledge is used to interpret the world around us and provide information that is key to understanding both biological and ecological processes. Taxonomy and systematics based findings are also used in a variety of economic activities such as the forestry industry or sustainable agricultural develoment. Furthermore, Research and Innovation industries employ taxonomy to ensure the correct identification of species used in fields that range from robotics and mobile technology, to medicine and pharmaceuticals. Taxonomic research also contributes to the broadening of our understanding of issues that affect our society, such as the potential impacts of climate change, by providing key information on species and their distributions, using the world’s natural history collections, that can be analysed and interpreted.
Laboratories within the CETAF taxonomic facilites comprise molecular genetic laboratories, imaging laboratories or morphological and anatomical analysis laboratories, which jointly provide access to the various tools, such as microscopes and electron microscopes or sample x-ray facilities. These tools facilitate the study of biological specimens and especially the understanding of their evolutionary histories and relationships.
Below, you can search CETAF member institutions by the tools they use.
Search CETAF members’ laboratories
Browse our member institutions via our search engine and filter system by their laboratories and key tools.