Managing the 19 Million Specimen Resource of the NMNH/NSF Antarctic Marine Invertebrate Collection to Meet the Needs of 21st Century Research, Resource Management and Education

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The USAP collection with its nearly 19 million specimens is the basis of current taxonomic knowledge of Antarctic marine invertebrates, and is part of the U.S. Polar research infrastructure. Support is needed to modernize collection management of the USAP holdings, enhance associated data, and expedite data entry to develop the tremendous potential of this valuable resource. Since 1963 the Smithsonian Institution has served as the national archiving and distribution center for invertebrate specimens and associated data collected during the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). The increased demand for modern information on Antarctic marine invertebrates requires professional management, curation, and maintenance of the collection. Support is requested to transform the USAP collection and associated data into a modern resource, primarily web-based, easily available to a vast and diverse audience (e.g., general public, policy makers, conservation groups) as well as making it a useful tool for scholars. This project will be part of the upcoming International Polar Year (IPY) pan-institutional activities of the Smithsonian. The web site will facilitate and accelerate the sharing of information for educational purposes, a variety of scientific analyses, mapping of taxa distributions, biogeographical studies, and provide policy makers with key information useful for biological conservation. The site will be linked to NMNH education programs, and the Ocean Web Portal currently part of the ongoing $72-million Ocean Initiative (http://www.mnh.si.edu/ocean/). The site will also be linked to NSF OPP resources and activities; and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) (http://www.iobis.org), the data component of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) (http://www.caml.aq/). The scientific community at large will be encouraged to use the USAP collection through a proposed Antarctic Curator-in-Residence program. These experts will provide specialized information to the NMNH-IZ database, while simultaneously populating the Antarctic Invertebrate Web Site. A work study program will be implemented to train undergraduate and graduate students, including underrepresented groups, in modern collection management practices and collections-based research. All USAP specimens will continue to be accessible to qualified researchers on- or off-site under formal loan agreements. Acquisition of scientifically valuable specimens from new Antarctic research initiatives, types, vouchers, including CAML bar-coding vouchers and the Palmer LTER samples, will continue to be a priority. Specimens from several large and valuable Antarctic collections (echinoderms, crustaceans and nemerteans) from 30+ years overdue loans to now inactive or deceased taxonomists, will be retrieved.