CSBR: Natural History: Preservation of Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Herpetology Collection

Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will improve the security, preservation, and accessibility of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Herpetological Collection, a world-class resource of over 235,000 specimens. This collection includes large historical holdings from areas that have undergone drastic environmental change or may face important change in the future. Recent research citing the collection exemplifies how new and unpredicted scientific paradigms, environmental issues, and technological advances require the existence of extensive and accessible historical scientific collections. Genetics, molecular phylogenetics, museomics, biomechanics, global change, emerging diseases, and invasive species are research areas for which specimens from this collection have recently been used. Based on recommendations from recent assessments that identified a number of urgent challenges affecting the collection and its related data, Carnegie Museum of Natural History has developed an extensive plan to preserve and increase access to the collection, ensuring that this important resource is sustained and able to support research for generations to come. Ranking tenth among US collections of its kind, the Herpetology Collection at Carnegie Museum of Natural History spans more than 100 years of scientific collecting in 170 countries. It includes 148 holotypes and 2,007 paratypes (specimens of special scientific and historic significance used in the original species descriptions), specimens of six extinct and 78 critically endangered species, and one of the world's largest turtle collections. Through this award, Carnegie Museum of Natural History will: a) optimize storage space to improve curation and access and mitigate preservation risks due to overcrowding and suboptimal containers; b) digitize vouchered archival data related to specific specimens, providing vital context for the collection; c) accession and catalog ca. 12,000 specimens, georeference locality data, and make data and images of holotypes and paratypes digitally accessible; d) update taxonomy throughout the Section and reorganize the collection accordingly; e) enhance the public's appreciation of the value of collections and research by developing new collections-based programs and exhibits. Ensuring the long-term preservation and availability of the Section's specimens and related data is key for supporting future research efforts. Likewise, digitizing important archival records will expand the relevance of the collection for studies in ecology, systematics, conservation, and the history of natural history collections. Updating taxonomy and georeferencing additional records will enhance the precision of biodiversity data, improving usefulness to the global research community. In addition, collaborative planning will lead to the implementation of new educational programming and two new museum exhibits designed to enhance the public's appreciation of the value of collections for research and increase understanding of the collection's importance in the public's day-to-day life. Project results are available on line (www.carnegiemnh.org/projects/alcohol-house), and data will be shared and made available through iDigBio (www.idigbio.org), VertNet, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).