Collaborative Research: Digitization PEN: Filling in knowledge gaps with key herbaria for understanding vascular plant diversity in the Atlantic coastal plain

University Of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The Southeast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections (SERNEC) is developing one of the most comprehensive data sets of plant diversity in North America. Through SERNEC, more than 4.5 million herbarium specimens from the southeastern U.S. will be digitized for online access through a project portal and the iDigBio Specimen Portal. In this Partner to Existing Network (PEN) project, three additional herbaria at the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, and University of Mary Washington will contribute digitized and georeferenced herbarium records from southeastern Virginia to these efforts. Plant diversity in this region is of interest because of the high degree of turnover due to southern species reaching their northern limit and northern species reaching their southern limit in southeastern Virginia. These records join the SERNEC data set that contribute information about plant diversity in the North American Coastal Plain, an area rich in rare, unique species. The SERNEC data set is a one-stop resource for taxonomic and ecological research and botanical education and aids in the revision of state checklists of plants and specimen curation. Student interns will have opportunities to develop professional skills in team work, communication, and goal-setting, as well as exploring potential career options in museum management. Citizen-scientists aiding in digitization will have opportunities to interact with project personnel and learn about the importance of natural history collections in education and research and local plant diversity. Educational materials developed for K-12 classes will enhance botanical literacy and illustrate plant diversity, structure and geographical range in the Southeast. Images and associated label data for approximately 118,000 vascular plant specimens in the three herbaria will be captured digitally and accessible online at the SERNEC Symbiota Portal and the iDigBio Specimen Portal. If lacking, georeferenced coordinates for the collection location of each specimen will be determined and added to the database. These activities expand the use of software packages that were enhanced for use in the SERNEC project, including Symbiota, GEOLocate, and Zooniverse. Original data, including images and text, will be retained long-term at institutional repositories of the herbaria involved in this project. Specimen digitization will be conducted by undergraduate student interns at each of the institutions and citizen-scientists, including the Virginia Master Naturalists and volunteers working in Notes from Nature. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.