Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin
(+49 30 838 50 100
Prof. Dr. Thomas Borsch Director of the Botanical Garden and Botanic Museum Berlin-Dahlem Evolution of flowering plants; molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics Phone: +49 30 838 50133 Fax: +49 30 838 50218 Email: direktor@bgbm.org
Prof. Dr. Walter Berendsohn Head, Department of Research and Biodiversity Informatics Research Fields: Flora and vegetation of El Salvador, Central America (particularly dendroflora); Biodiversity Informatics, particularly information modelling, networking, taxon concepts, and biological collections; Head of BioCASe Secretariat (Biological Collection Access Service for Europe, CETAF Node of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Phone: +49 30 838 50143 Email: w.berendsohn@bgbm.org
Anton Güntsch Head of Biodiversity Informatics Phone: + 49 30 838 50166 Email: a.guentsch@bgbm.org Head of Information Science and Technology Commission
Robert Vogt Curator of the Herbarium Phone: +49 30 838 50123 Email: r.vogt@bgbm.org Member of Collections Policy Board
Eva Häffner Science Policy Coordinator
Phone +49 30 838 59964 Email: e.haeffner@bgbm.org
Prof. Dr. Thomas Borsch +49 30 838 50133 direktor@bgbm.org Evolution of flowering plants; molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics
The Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (BGBM) is a so-called Zentraleinrichtung (central unit) of Freie Universität Berlin. The BGBM is managed by its director and is organized in four departments:
- Department 1 – Research and Biodiversity Informatics
- Department 2 – Biological Collections
- Department 3 – Science Communication
- Department 4 – Administration and Scientific Services
The preservation of the Garden and of the living plants’ collections, along with the maintenance of the technical infrastructure and the buildings is carried out by the so-called “Gemeinschaftsbetrieb” (joint operational management).
| Permanent (P) | Non – Permanent (NP) | |
|---|---|---|
| a) TOTAL scientific staff | 5 | 22 |
| b) Scientific staff linked to Collections | 5 | |
| c) Post-docs / PhD students | 7 | |
| d) Others (Associates, etc.) | ||
| TOTAL (a+b+c+d) (permanent and non-permanent) | 49 |
| Permanent (P) | Non – Permanent (NP) | |
|---|---|---|
| e) Exhibitions | 3 | |
| f) Collection managers / technicians incl. gardeners | 57 | |
| g) Others incl. librarians | 63 | 4 |
| TOTAL (a+b+c+d) (permanent and non-permanent) | 127 |
Service Area Laboratories: One Laboratory - Two Locations.
Spread over two locations, the laboratory facilities cover approximately 450 m2. Institutionally, the Service Area Laboratories is affiliated on one side to the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Berlin, and on the other side to the Borsch Working Group at the Institute of Biology, Systematic Botany and Geography of Plants. Both institutions are part of the Freie Universität Berlin.
The activities of the laboratory facility located in the Botanical Museum (Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8) mainly focus on genome- and DNA-analyses (including barcoding), micromorphology and ultra-sculpture of botanical surfaces and the cultivation of diatoms. A field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) is available.
The activities of the laboratory facility located in the Botanical Institute (Altensteinstr. 6) mainly focus on DNA/RNA analyses related to population genetics and genome sizing using flow cytometry. In addition, the facility is equipped with a S1-area for cloning purposes.
- SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) - Hitachi SU-8010 FE-SEM
- Optical microscopy - Multiple Stereo-/ Microscopes incl. Fluorescence, equipped with high res. Cameras (Olympus, Leica, Zeiss)
- Genetic fingerprinting - Beckmann CEQ 8000 sequencer
- Polymerase Chain Reaction - in total 8 x 96-well block thermocycler (SensoQuest and PeqLab)
- DNA Quality testing - Gel-Electrophoresis and UV/VIS (NanoDrop ND1000)
- Flow cytometry - Attune, applied biosystems
- Next Generation Sequencing - via BeGenDiv (www.begendiv.de) Roche 454, Roche Junior and Illumina MySeq
- Furthermore fumehoods, centrifuges, pipettes, pcr-cabinets, laminair flow workbenches, incubators (with light) and numerous -20°C/-35° and 5 x -80°C storage capacity
Willdenowia (www.bgbm.org/de/bgbm-press/willdenowia)
Englera (www.bgbm.org/de/node/713)
| Typology | Primary types | Individual specimens/objects | % registered cards | % recorded cards in database | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | |||||
| 1.2 | |||||
| 1.3 | |||||
| 1.4 | |||||
| ... |
| Typology | Primary types | Individual specimens/objects | % registered cards | % recorded cards in database | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Botany | 40000 | 3200000 | 16 | |
| 2.2 | Mycology | 5000 | 600000 | 23 |
The extensive biological collections at BGBM document the diversity of plants on a world wide scale. Our collections are continuously developed, opened up to the public and to science and are increasingly used in scientific networks in order to provide a consistent and comprehensive archive of plant diversity. The biological collections enable systematic studies of the organisms, document their variability and file their evolution in space and time. The collections set up the essential basis for actual and future research and public education and as such serve the conservation of plant diversity.
The biological collections at BGBM are used by scientists from around the world either by visiting BGBM, by loaning selected specimens or by studying their digital equivalents online. Up to 30000 plants and plant parts are provided for research and academic education each year.
- Living collections in the Botanic Garden
- Preserved plant specimen in the herbarium and in special collections
- Seeds of wild and garden origin in the Dahlem Seed Bank
- Plant DNA and tissue samples in the DNA Bank
- Plant material for science, research and education
Library (http://www.bgbm.org/de/wissenschaft/bibliothek-am-bgbm): The BGBM maintains a botanical library, founded in 1819, open to the public. It collects botanical literature (with a focus on systematics, plant geography and related fields) on a worldwide basis. Being part of the university's library system, its provides access also to a large number of electronic resources in the field. Physical holdings: • Books and periodicals: 205 000 volumes • Separata: 143 500 items • Microforms, optical disks, etc.: 4615 titles (c. 58 600 items) Archives (http://www.bgbm.org/de/node/418): The scientific archives of the BGBM contain documents, photographs, plans, art works, etc. related to: • the history of the institution, its collections, activities and staff • botanists (literary, etc. remains of botanists; letters; portraits; etc.) photographs and other images of plants
43 hectares of managed and landscaped garden including 17 public greenhouses and ca. 40 nurseries summing up to a total of ca. 17.000 m2 under glass Ca. 20.000 species (10.000 greenhouse, 10.000 outdoor) from all regions of the world (ca. 14.000 Dicots, 5.000 Monocots, 400 Gymnosperms; more than 300 families and 3.300 genera) Focus and special collections: a) taxonomic groups: Asterales, Caryophyllales (including Cactaceae), tropical and subtropical ferns, Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Welwitschia, Sanseveria, Pelargonium, Rosa, Prunus b) life forms: succulents, aquatic plants, geophytes, arboretum b) phytogeographic regions: Cuban and Caribbean, Mediterranean, Near East and Caucasus
30 to 40 press releases are released annually to raise awareness for plants and BGBM’s activities (archive http://www.bgbm.org/de/pressemitteilungen). 2 to 5 press conferences are hold annually. Press pictures are provided for downloading http://www.bgbm.org/de/presse/pressefotos
A monthly e-newsletter is published http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/de/aktuelles/newsletter
Information is provided on www.bgbm.org
Many events are combining botany with culture and more (e.g. Tropical Night, Palm Symphony, Plant Market, Long Night of the Sciences, Long Day of CityNature, Summer Open Air Concerts, Wine festival, Botanical Night, Orchid Show, Cactus Show, Carnivorous Plants Show, Halloween, Bird Show etc).
Gesche Hohlstein, Phone +49 (0)30 838 50134, E-mail g.hohlstein@bgbm.org
between 300 000 and 350 000 per year, in 2015 we started an extensive action programme (including infrastructural and marketing measures) in order to increase this number considerably in the next 5 years.
BGBM takes place in the so-called “ecological year” programme and offers two internships in cooperation with Botany School (see below) and Stiftung Naturschutz Berlin http://www.stiftung-naturschutz.de/freiwilligendienste/foej/einsatzstell... and http://www.stiftung-naturschutz.de/freiwilligendienste/foej/einsatzstell...
Several internships for students are available.
BGBM is involved in several courses of the Institute of Biology at Freie Universität Berlin. Within the bachelor programme, we cover the lecture “Das Pflanzenreich” (the plant kingdom) and supervise the courses „Bestimmungsübungen“ (plant determination) and „Grundpraktikum“ (basic course) of the “Modul Botanik”.
In the master programme „Evolution und Biodiversität II“ we provide courses in the “Modul Evolution und Biodiversität II”. Furthermore dissertations and other theses are supervised. http://www.bcp.fu-berlin.de/en/biologie/arbeitsgruppen/botanik/ag_borsch...
No
BGBM trains gardeners (gardener for ornamental plants and perennial plants) in a three-year vocational training programme. http://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/ausbildung/ausbildungsberufe/gaertner-in/i...
A variety of educational activities are offered. Exhibitions, self-guiding trails, talks, workshops, special tours or mushroom advice service are mainly part of adult education. Guided tours for groups address nearly all target groups from adults to schools. Special school programmes are run in cooperation with Botany School (i.e. special teacher training centre in cooperation with Berlin Senate Administration for Education: Botanikschule and Fortbildungszentrum für Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung = Education for Sustainable Development Training Centre).
In addition to programmes that focus on botany, nature conservation, renewable resources or climate change other school programmes are based on the theory of Education for Sustainable Development, e.g. 'Fruits of the Tropics', “The World of the Oil Palm”, “Coffee” in which students learn about the connections between everyday life and conditions of employment related to crop cultivation, plants and ecology, conventional and fair trade, as well as product and food. The programme 'Fruits of the Tropics' runs in cooperation with the German Development Service (DED, now GIZ) and the Centre for Developmental Education and Information EPIZ. BGBM’s educational work in collaboration with both training centres was awarded by the German UNESCO Commission for Education for Sustainable Development for 2009 till 2010 and 2011 to 2012 as official Decade Projects. This recognition is to reward examples of good practice and create models worthy of imitation for other projects (German Commission for UNESCO, 2011). More http://www.bgbm.org/de/node/1113
Gesche Hohlstein, Phone +49 (0)30 838 50134, E-mail g.hohlstein@bgbm.org
1. Research in Systematics and Phytogeography 2. Botanical Garden and Museum Collections 3. Biodiversity informatics