Accessioning and curating the BING peatmoss (Sphagnum) collection into DUKE

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

This project will complete the transfer and integration of some 22,000 specimens of the moss genus Sphagnum from Binghamton University into the Duke University herbarium. The specimens will be transferred to archival quality specimen packets and associated collection information will be uploaded to appropriate databases to make specimen information available to researchers and citizen scientists. Sphagnum is both a genus of plants and an entire ecosystem. Sphagnum-dominated peatlands are estimated to store 25-30% of the total terrestrial carbon pool and are for that reason critical to understanding and management of the global climate. Sphagnum is currently under active development as a model for studying the impacts of changing climate on plants, and the combined Duke-Binghamton Sphagnum herbarium will be an irreplaceable resource to document geographic and ecological variation in Sphagnum peat mosses. It is well established that ecological function, including levels of carbon sequestration, varies with regard to both Sphagnum species and geographic setting. The augmented Duke University collection, with over 50,000 specimens of Sphagnum, will comprise the largest collection of this group in the world and will have unparalleled importance. This project supports the rescue of an at-risk collection of the moss genus Sphagnum from Binghamton University (BING) and its integration with the L.E. Anderson Bryophyte Herbarium at Duke University (DUKE). The collection will be curated both physically and taxonomically to preserve and increase its value as a resource for research and teaching. Most of the BING specimens are currently packeted in non-archival quality paper on herbarium sheets. Many of the packets, including many holding type specimens, are disintegrating, with labels and packets in various stages of detachment. All transferred specimens will be properly curated; they will be re-packeted with new labels, organized using the geographic system currently employed in the DUKE bryophyte herbarium, digitized, and made accessible via the Bryophyte Portal (bryophyteportal.org/portal/) and iDigBio.org. The taxonomy of these collections will be updated based on recent research findings of Sphagnum taxonomy. This activity will involve microscopic examination of specimens belonging to groups for which taxonomic revisions have been completed. 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.