CSBR: An inordinate fondness for beetles - expanding access to the Triplehorn collection of Coleoptera, phase 2

Ohio State University, The, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

The specimens held in natural history collections are the documentation of the world’s biodiversity, including what the species are, where they live, their life history, and their relationships with other organisms. The specimens and the information associated with them are a timeline that records the changes in flora and fauna that have resulted from growing human populations, changing land use patterns, habitat alterations, species extinctions, and the introduction of invasive species. These specimen records are invaluable and irreplaceable, but they are also irrelevant unless they are both secure and accessible. To be secure, specimens must be protected from environmental hazards such as heat, humidity, light, and pests. Accessibility encompasses equally the physical availability the materials for researchers to study through visits and loans as well as free and open access to the data associated with the specimens using information technologies. The process of photographing, copying and uploading data itself requires the ability of workers to remove and handle specimens. Recording of data and quality control can be a prolonged and expensive process. However, it is also a valuable opportunity to engage with the general public in the documentation of their own biological heritage. This not only contributes to a better understanding of the inner workings of natural history collections, but how and why scientists explore the natural world. This project will provide the physical and virtual access needed to the hundreds of thousands of beetle specimens housed in the Triplehorn Insect Collection at The Ohio State University. Beetles are the most species-rich group of plants or animals in the world, and they include many species that are serious pests of food and forests as well as beneficial species that keep pests at low population levels. The researchers in the collection will rehouse the specimens in new, secure cabinets, drawers and unit trays. The work will be coordinated with transcription of the data on the labels attached to each specimen. These data will then go through a quality assurance check before being stored in the collection’s electronic database. This information resource is open to the general public, and its contents are automatically shared with iDigBio, the national clearinghouse for biodiversity information, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the worldwide counterpart. The data associated with the collection of tiger beetles will be the focus of a citizen science collaboration. The specimens and labels will be photographed and uploaded to Notes from Nature, and with the help of lay collaborators, the data will be transcribed and then uploaded into the collection database. This work will then ensure the maintenance and availability of specimens and their data for future research, resources that are the results of more than a century of collecting effort. 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.