ADMU Department of Biology

14/07/2025

NEW PUBLICATION ALERT 🧬🪲

The Delocado et al. (2025) methods paper details the pipeline of SalaguGang on erecting molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). As piloted on aquatic and riparian beetles, the pipeline is a concoction of six molecular species delimitation approaches and seeks to accelerate species discovery by grouping specimens which are closely related based on the COI gene sequences. In light of integrative taxonomy which the Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory is advocating for, this initial grouping can then be used as a starting point for morphological examination of similar looking species. The paper argues that fast-tracking species discovery in megadiverse tropics is essential in the time of environmental decay and species loss. As a methods paper, the new publication can be used as a useful tool in biology classes.

The paper is authored by Dr. Emmanuel D. Delocado (Assistant Professor & BiodivLab Head), Voltaire Rafael H. Banzon, Jr (MS Bio student, BS LfSci '21), and Enrico Gerard S. Sanchez (ASMPH YL8, BS Bio '22).

11/07/2025

The ADMU community is invited to the MS Biology Graduate Seminar featuring studies by our graduate students on 16 July 2025, 9-11 AM at Escaler Hall. We hope you can join us!

07/07/2025

We encourage science teachers in public schools in NCR to attend Schools Unlimited, the Educational Conference of the 36th International Biology Olympiad. Six international educators and scientists, who are also jury members of the IBO, will be hosting seminars/workshops on three themes, namely:
1) Using Technology in Biology Classrooms, Despite Limited Resources
2) Strengthening Research Techniques Teaching and Training for Public School Students
3) Difficult Biology Concepts Made Easy
Schools Unlimited: IBO 2025 Educational Conference will be held on the Ateneo de Manila University campus on 25 July 2025 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Certificates of participation will be given to all attendees.
Register for the Conference by scanning the QR code. Slots for each seminar/workshop will be allotted on a first come, first served basis.

04/07/2025

Biologists from the Ateneo de Manila University warned that a species of fish that is usually kept as a pet was found in Laguna de Bay and could threaten native fishes in the country’s largest freshwater lake.

The scientists said that the non-native fish found in Barangay Patunhay in Cardona, Rizal, in September 2024 was confirmed to be a Barbonymus schwanefeldii, or tinfoil barb—known for its silver appearance with orange fins and tail.

Read more:
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/951178/ateneo-scientists-warn-vs-alien-fish-in-laguna-de-bay/story/

01/07/2025

Check out this news article featuring the work done by the Department of Biology’s faculty and students published in the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology last May 🐠

Ateneo researchers warned that the tinfoil barb fish in Laguna de Bay "poses a threat to native fish by outcompeting them for food and breeding sites."

06/06/2025

Congratulations to our very own Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory for being featured in this article! 🐞🐛🍃🐠

Fifteen new beetle species and pioneering research into other rarely studied species. It’s no wonder that the Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory—affectionately known as the , in reference to their close-knit friendship and beetle-like persistence—has been feted for its scientific excellence, clinching its fourth consecutive grand slam win at the 2025 Young Systematic Biologists Forum (YSBF).

Read more: https://www.ateneo.edu/news/2025/06/04/ateneos-salagugang-scales-new-heights-biodiversity-research

06/06/2025

🍃NEW PUBLICATION NOTICE💻

Posio & Delocado* discussed how a massive online open course (MOOC) can promote sustainability leadership among school personnel. The paper used "MOOC for Sustainability", an online course developed by Posio, Delocado, and collaborators from the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability, University of Turku, Universitas Indonesia, Zhijang University, and Lagos State University, as a case study.

*Delocado is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Biology.

Read the full paper via: https://archium.ateneo.edu/jmgs/vol13/iss1/3/

Enroll in the "MOOC for Sustainability" course for free and earn a free certificate via: https://digicampus.fi/course/view.php?id=5697

[NEW PUBLICATION ALERT]
💻 AIS co-authored a new publication on advancing sustainability leadership. In this new paper, AIS Director Dr Emman Delocado together with Dr Pilvi Posio of the University of Turku (UTU) discussed how a collaborative massive online open course (MOOC) can promote sustainability leadership among school personnel. Posio & Delocado (2025) talked about the MOOC co-developed by AIS and UTU and dissected this case study vis-a-vis different leadership models.

Read the full paper via: https://archium.ateneo.edu/jmgs/vol13/iss1/3/

Enroll in the "MOOC for Sustainability" course for free via: https://digicampus.fi/course/view.php?id=5697

02/06/2025

The Department of Biology congratulates Dr. Emmanuel Delocado, Assistant Professor of the Department and Head of the Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory, for having been elected as the VICE PRESIDENT of the Association of Systematic Biologists of the Philippines (ASBP). His term will run from June 2025 to May 2027.

Dr. Delocado previously served as the Assistant Secretary and Public Relations Officer of the ASBP. He currently serves as the Managing Editor of the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, the official publication of ASBP. Beyond ASBP, he actively engages with numerous professional organizations, including the Philippine Society for Freshwater Science where he currently serves as its PRO. Concurrently, Dr. Delocado is the Director of the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability.

Congratulations, Sir Emman!

31/05/2025

The Department of Biology is proud to announce the Program Awardees for BS Biology and BS Life Sciences of the graduating class of 2025:

𝐌𝐫. 𝐊𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐕. 𝐓𝐞𝐣𝐚𝐝𝐚 - 𝐁𝐒 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲

𝐌𝐬. 𝐀𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐅. 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐚 - 𝐁𝐒 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

Both outstanding individuals, they exemplify the excellence, virtues, and conduct expected of bachelors of their degrees.

𝐓𝐚𝐨𝐬-𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐲𝐚!

30/05/2025

The Department of Biology would like to congratulate the Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory for bagging top prizes in the recently concluded International Conference and 42nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Systematic Biologists of the Philippines.

YOUNG SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGISTS FORUM (UNDERGRAD)

🥇FIRST PLACE - Covy Angeles (4 BS Bio)
“Revisiting hidden diversity: Updates on the diversity and distribution of Laccobius Erichson 1837 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae), with first DNA barcodes from the Philippines”
For the fourth year in a row, the Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory secured the first place in this category.

🥈SECOND PLACE - Aaron Dy (4 BS Bio)
“Discovery of four new species of Anacaena Thomson, 1859 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Chaetarthriinae) in the Philippines using integrative taxonomy, with evidence for greater diversity than projected”

POSTER PRESENTATION

🥇FIRST PLACE - Raul Estrella, with Dyan Bardeloza (4 BS Bio)
“First survey in 87 years: The first integrative study on Philippine Patrus Aubé, 1838 (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae), with one new species and one species complex from Greater Luzon”

🥈SECOND PLACE - Sam Ramos Yeo (4 BS Bio)
“Updates on the diversity of Enochrus Thomson, 1859 in the Philippines (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Enochrinae), with description of four new species throughintegrative taxonomy”

🥈SECOND PLACE - Rael Banzon (MS Bio)
“Ramping up on riparian rovers: First records and descriptions of family Sphaeriusidae Erichson, 1845 (Coleoptera) and genus Thysanarthria Orchymont, 1926 (Hydrophilidae: Chaetarthriinae: Chaetarthriini) in the Philippines”

All the students were advised by the BiodivLab Head and Assistant Professor Dr. Emmanuel D. Delocado.

Congratulations for your accomplishments!

22/05/2025

The Ateneo Biodiversity Research Laboratory of the Department of Biology joins the celebration of the International Day for Biodiversity 2025 with theme "Harmony with nature and sustainable development".

All the best to our biodiversity researchers and enthusiasts!

14/05/2025

🧪NEW PUBLICATION NOTICE🍃

Bragais & Yu investigated the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of methanolic and anthocyanin-rich aqueous fractions from tapuy rice wine lees. Results suggest the potential of the anthocyanin-rich aqueous fraction of tapuy lees as a natural antibacterial agent, indicating its potential application in food and health industries.

Open-access paper available here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11694-024-02917-9