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Facilities & Centres

 

Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & Function (CAGEF) 

A critical bridge between CSB and EEB (and colleagues in the Faculty of Medicine) will be the creation of a Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function (CAGEF). The Centre will bring together researchers with interests in comparative, evolutionary, and functional analyses of genomes and proteomes. It will facilitate the interdisciplinary studies and intellectual interactions, the training of students and postdocs, the sharing of facilities for high-throughput genomic and proteomic studies, and the acquisition of resources and grants.

 

Collections & Research at the Royal Ontario Museum


 The Department of Natural History at the ROM  - comprises 12 collections and research areas: Botany, Entomology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mammalogy, Mycology, Ornithology, Invertebrate Palaeontology, Vertebrate Palaeontology, Geology, and Mineralogy. Curators in most of these disciplines are cross-appointed to, and serve as professors in, the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  Collections |  read more

Fungal Herbarium - The original Cryptogamic Herbarium was created to hold fungi and non-vascular plants. It was then under the responsibility of staff in the Botany Department at UofT. In June 1996, the responsibility of the collection was transferred to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Following this transfer, it was restricted to Fungi. Mosses and liverworts were integrated to the ROM Vascular Plant Herbarium (TRT) while algae remained with the University of Toronto Culture Collection (UTCC) The UTCC has moved to the Canadian Phycological Culture Centre (CPCC).

Seed Exchange - Information on the collection and the use of seeds for research purposes.

Green Plant Herbarium - Graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Toronto whose research involves plants are encouraged to visit the herbarium, and to deposit voucher specimens from their research. In this way they will ensure that other researchers will have the best possible understanding of materials with which their work was carried out. The herbarium already houses extensive collections of this kind from archaeological, cytotaxonomic, embryological, ecological, palynological, and systematic studies. Loans of specimens from other herbaria are also arranged on behalf of graduate students and faculty of the university.

The Green Plant Herbarium is located on the 2B Level of the ROM’s Louise Hawley Stone Curatorial Centre. Compact storage of the collection has provided space for herbarium staff and visitors to study and work with specimens, as well as to accomodate a substantial portion of the ROM Library’s collection of botanical books and journals. Access to the Herbarium is by appointment, but arrangements can be made for greater access as needed. Please contact Tim Dickinson (Curator) or Deb Metsger (Collection Manager; debm@rom.on.ca) for more information.

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Growth Facilities, Faculty of Arts & Science

Growth facilities in Earth Science Center (ESC) and Ramsey Wright Bld. (RW) include over 

  • 1000 m2 of glasshouse bench space, 
  • 20 walk-in growth rooms 
  • 70 growth chambers

These facilities provide controlled environmental conditions for a range of organisms (plants, insects, fish, fungi, nematodes and bacteria) which faculty, students and teaching labs use for research, lecture courses and lab demonstration material. The Growth Facilities are part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences managed by Chief Horticulturalist, Bruce Hall, along with Horticulturalist Andrew Petrie. The growth/culture services provided by the growth facilities are used by both Eco & Evo Biol (EEB) and Cell & Systems Biol (CSB) Departments. The Growth Facilities staff maintains a Teaching Plant Collection and provides researchers with growth space, material, and advice, and has a wide range of knowledge and experience with plant growth and pest control.

Located in glasshouses on the ESC rooftop, the Teaching Plant Collection, is comprised of many specimens of botanical and human interest. The collection is used to supplement a wide range of departmental courses and elementary and high school tours. Students are welcome to visit and explore the Collection between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday to Friday.
For more information see the Growth Facilities web page http://gf.eeb.utoronto.ca/ 

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Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill

This research station, acquired in 1995 by the University of Toronto, consists of 350 ha of highly diverse forest, old field and wetland communities on the western portion of the Oak Ridges Moraine 50km N. of Toronto. JH was donated to the University of Toronto for the specific goal of using the land for long-term ecological investigations and turning the site into a world class research station.

 

Microscopy and Imaging Centre

The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Microscopy and Imaging Center provides EEB and non-EEB personnel with access to a wide array of microscopes, digital imaging, and morphometric software in support of research and teaching activities. The center contributes to the training and research efforts of post-doctoral fellows, graduates, and undergraduates, including those funded by NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards. High resolution imaging within the facility by student and staff researchers has resulted in peer-reviewed manuscripts examining a broad spectrum of topics including: (1) Fungal life histories, ecology and morphological evolution; (2) Insect-fungal interactions; (3) Evolution of leaf form; (4) Programmed cell death; (5) The response of vegetative and reproductive plant tissues to biotic and abiotic stress; (6) Evolution of plant reproductive processes; (7) Evolution and ecology of C4 and CAM photosynthesis; and (8) The structure and use of natural and synthetic fibers.

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