Curation of Aquatic Survey Collections at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Academy Of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia under the direction of Dr. Gary Rosenberg for partial support of curation of the Academy's aquatic survey collections. These collections were made over the past 55 years by staff of the Patrick Center for Environmental Research. More than 100 watersheds and estuaries were studied between 1948 and 2003, mostly in the eastern US, but also in Canada, Puerto Rico, and Peru. These surveys covered a broad range of species, including fish, diatoms, algae, sponges, flatworms, annelids, mollusks, crustaceans and insects, and aimed to determine the health of aquatic ecosystems. More than 80,000 samples of invertebrates, fish and algae from these collections remain unaccessioned, and are thus not available for scientific research. The project will create an online database of survey sites, along with methods used at each site, inventory the collections and survey reports to generate faunal and floral lists for each site, rehouse samples of research significance in archival materials, and catalog them into the Academy's specimen collections and associated databases, which are available on the Internet. These collections have substantial research value, providing a baseline for studies of environmental change in many aquatic systems. The Savannah River in South Carolina and Georgia has been sampled almost annually since 1951, and the Delaware (PA, NJ, DE), Flint (GA), Guadalupe (TX), Patuxent (MD), Potomac (MD), Sabine (TX), and Susquehanna (PA) rivers and Chesapeake Bay have all been surveyed a dozen or more times. These time series of samples allow investigations of reasons for change, by means such as analysis of stable isotopes and incorporated pollutants or detecting shifts in diet from stomach contents. Formalin was rarely used in preserving the samples of invertebrates from the surveys, so they have strong potential for DNA studies and are important for research in systematics and biogeography. Curatorial assistants and work-study students hired for this project will be trained in a number of collections-related skills. Students from the Academy's site REU program will be enlisted in research projects analyzing the aquatic survey data. Philadelphia high school students will also be sought, through the Academy's Women in Natural Sciences program, which targets traditionally underserved populations. Data from the aquatic survey collections should interest a broad set of users beyond the scientific community. The surveys are historically important as they document the effects of industrial pollution. Water quality is important to local communities, state and federal government, natural resource managers and corporations, so availability of these long term data sets will support further efforts to monitor and improve the health of aquatic systems. The Academy has recently initiated a Town Square series to provide an ongoing venue for public education about aquatic species surveys and environmental monitoring.