Welcome to the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario
Biodiversity measures the variation of life shaped through ecology and evolution from genes to species and ecosystems. Genetic variation plays a critical role in the ability of individuals and species to respond and adapt to environmental change while the diversity of species within and between ecosystems provides significant advantages to ecosystem function and resilience. One of the ironies of biological research is that after more than 250 years of dedicated biological science, the total number of species within any country or region remains unknown. While we often have a good idea of the identities and ecological roles of the larger, more charismatic animals (birds, mammals) the truth of the matter is that most of life is small (insects, bacteria, fungi) and currently undescribed. Shedding light onto these lesser known groups is important because all of the larger groups, including ourselves, depend on these smaller organisms for some part of their daily natural history. In order to protect and understand the diversity of life in Ontario, we must be able to know the species and ecosystems upon which humans, and our industry and lifestyle, depend.
Departmental News and Events
- Guelph Informatics Expert Wins International Prize
May 5, 2010 - Sujeevan Ratnasingham, informatics director with U of G's Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), has been awarded the 2010 Ebbe Nielsen Prize from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a multilateral initiative that enables free and open access to biodiversity data online. Read more. - DNA Barcoding Makes International Headlines
April 27, 2010 - The May issue of National Geographic magazine includes a feature story on Prof. Paul Hebert and DNA barcoding. The piece includes a photo gallery and story about how DNA barcoding reduces species identification time and has led to the discovery of overlooked species around the world. Read more. - DNA Barcoding Proposal Up for Award
April 27, 2010 - How do you get teenagers around the world to help preserve the Earth's biodiversity? Make a game of it. A University of Guelph biologist hopes he can persuade the rest of the world to help him attract $200,000 to do just that. Read more.
