Using Herbarium Data to Document Plant Niches in the High Peaks and High Plains of the Southern Rockies - Past, Present, and Future: Difference between revisions
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=== Other project documentation === | === Other project documentation === | ||
== PENs == | |||
=== Enhancing the SoRo TCN with collections of taxonomic, geographic, and historic significance from the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Herbarium === | |||
The Southern Rocky Mountain Region (SoRo) supports a rich and fragile flora of diverse habitats and narrow ecological niches derived from unique geographic origins and evolutionary histories. The Herbarium at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) has a unique, data-rich, and curated but currently inaccessible collection of 60,700 vascular plant specimens from the SoRo region, the digitization of which will tailor seamlessly with the ongoing Digitization Thematic Collections Network (TCN) "Using Herbarium Data to Document Plant Niches in the High Peaks and High Plains of the Southern Rockies - Past, Present, and Future." Timely digitization of RSABG's significant collections will be instrumental to enhancing the TCN and enable researchers to examine contemporary patterns of distribution, identify signatures of diversification, predict future environmental change, and help to mitigate negative impacts of climate change and habitat alteration. Digitization includes 30,960 specimens especially noteworthy for their relevance to science, collector, and taxonomy. Integral to the project are the activities that involve graduate students and undergraduate interns. Students will be trained in all aspects of collections management and digitization. Undergraduate interns will participate in four workshops that will serve to connect students to collections, biodiversity, and conservation of the SoRo region. Additionally, through coordinated efforts with California Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP; a Hispanic Serving Institution), undergraduate students in CPP's Form & Function in Plants class will barcode 50% of the project specimens as partial fulfillment of their course objectives. An exhibit at RSABG will highlight the activities and student participation in the project. | |||
The flora of the Southern Rocky Mountain region (SoRo) is composed of plants with unique evolutionary histories driven by orogenic factors and long- and short-term climatic shifts associated with continental glaciations. Such abiotic factors have greatly influenced elevational changes in community structure, large-scale geographic range shifts, patterns of rapid diversification, and ecological niche evolution. These histories and dynamic abiotic phenomena have yielded varied ecosystems and geological substrates that support numerous endemics and/or narrowly adapted species. The uniqueness of the SoRo region provides an excellent model area in which to examine patterns of diversification, niche evolution, and endemism. As part of the SoRo Thematic Collections Network (TCN), the Herbarium at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) aims to digitize and mobilize data from 60,700 herbarium specimens relevant to the SoRo region and contribute to the larger goals of the project and strengthen the TCN. Specimens targeted for this project include 30,960 especially noteworthy specimens based on their relevance to science, collector, and taxonomy, and are emblematic of the unique strengths of the RSABG Herbarium. A large cadre of students at different levels in their academic career will participate in all aspects of the project, including databasing, imaging, and georeferencing. All data resulting from this project will be shared with iDigBio (idigbio.org) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility through SoRo's Symbiota portal as well as RSABG's Herbarium web portal. Additional information about RSABG, its outreach activities, and the results of this project is available online (www.rsabg.org). | |||
''Project Sponsor'': Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden [https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1901889 (NSF Award 1901889)] | |||
''Principal Investigators:'' [mailto:mnazaire@rsabg.org Mare Nazaire] (PI) | |||