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Data Without Borders ICE 2016: Difference between revisions
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Data Without Borders ICE 2016 (view source)
Revision as of 15:40, 16 September 2016
, 16 September 2016→Short Description
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| '''Pamela Soltis''' (psoltis@flmnh.ufl.edu), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL | | '''Pamela Soltis''' (psoltis@flmnh.ufl.edu), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL | ||
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| Like blood from that stone we always hear about: a quest to extract meaningful data from historical grasshopper specimens | | Like blood from that stone we always hear about: a quest to extract meaningful data from historical grasshopper specimens | ||
::'''Introduction''': One of the most ancient ecosystems in the southeastern U.S.A. is scrub, often associated with ridge systems that were most likely used as refugia during Pleistocene sea level changes. Following sea level stabilization, these habitats effectively remained islands due to unique soil composition and a lack of plant diversity leading to a myriad of floral and faunal endemics. In particular, arthropod endemics abound as in the grasshopper genus Melanoplus (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae). Many genus members possess short wings incapable of flight and are unable to easily disperse over large distances, which makes such Melanoplus species ideal candidates for examining speciation hypotheses. To test such hypotheses, the Puer Group (PG), comprised of 24 species with related morphology, was chosen. The group spans four neighboring states (FL, GA, SC, and NC), contains many scrub endemics, and its males exhibit great genitalia variation. A good beginning for delving deeper into the group’s evolutionary history was determining current species ranges by georeferencing around 5,000 specimens, borrowed from various U.S. collections and gathered in the field during recent expeditions. | ::'''Introduction''': One of the most ancient ecosystems in the southeastern U.S.A. is scrub, often associated with ridge systems that were most likely used as refugia during Pleistocene sea level changes. Following sea level stabilization, these habitats effectively remained islands due to unique soil composition and a lack of plant diversity leading to a myriad of floral and faunal endemics. In particular, arthropod endemics abound as in the grasshopper genus Melanoplus (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae). Many genus members possess short wings incapable of flight and are unable to easily disperse over large distances, which makes such Melanoplus species ideal candidates for examining speciation hypotheses. To test such hypotheses, the Puer Group (PG), comprised of 24 species with related morphology, was chosen. The group spans four neighboring states (FL, GA, SC, and NC), contains many scrub endemics, and its males exhibit great genitalia variation. A good beginning for delving deeper into the group’s evolutionary history was determining current species ranges by georeferencing around 5,000 specimens, borrowed from various U.S. collections and gathered in the field during recent expeditions. | ||
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| Digitizing natural history collection specimens to investigate the future of species conservation | | Digitizing natural history collection specimens to investigate the future of species conservation | ||
::Natural history collections (NHC) are rich repositories that document our planet's ecosystems, both past and present. Within the past decade there has been a surge to revisit NHCs to digitize specimens. Digitized NHCs can provide a wealth of insight on the ecology, abundance, and distribution of rare and common bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila). Studies on the historic abundance and distribution of bee species in particular have revealed alarming trends of population decline and local extinctions. Given the rapidly growing digital vault of bee data across multiple institutions, we will discuss how NHCs can inform the conservation of bees. However, we will also highlight some of limitations and biases of digital specimen data that must be considered when characterizing bee communities. | |||
| '''Jonathan Koch''' (jonathan.koch@usu.edu), Utah State University, Logan, UT | | '''Jonathan Koch''' (jonathan.koch@usu.edu), Utah State University, Logan, UT | ||
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| Harnessing specimen data to visualize and investigate the ecology of species | | Harnessing specimen data to visualize and investigate the ecology of species | ||
::The process of digitizing specimen data can be done via a collecting event approach in order to maximize efficiency and accuracy. The collecting event approach involves attaching specimen data to previously digitized collecting event information, rather than attaching data to specimens. Using source materials such as field notes allows for less transcription errors and increases the precision with which localities can be georeferenced. In addition, this approach distinguishes between true absences and collecting artifacts, allowing a researcher to investigate why specimens occur at certain sites and are absent at others. Several recent digitization projects using this method will be examined, including the North American Macroinvertebrate Database and CReAC. Specimen data can be digitized using source materials such as field notes in order to increase the accuracy of the data and the efficiency of the digitization workflow. | |||
| '''Sarah Schmits''' (scschmits@ku.edu), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS | | '''Sarah Schmits''' (scschmits@ku.edu), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS | ||
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| '''Kari Harris''' (kari.panhorst@smail.astate.edu), Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR | | '''Kari Harris''' (kari.panhorst@smail.astate.edu), Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR | ||
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And please be sure to see this talk too: | |||
* Cross-pollination in the 21st Century: Integrating entomologists and botanists to explore the island biogeography and conservation of Caribbean orchids by '''Peter Houlihan''' (phoulihan@ufl.edu), Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL | |||