An award has been made to the Field Museum of Natural History under the direction of Matt von Konrat to convert 180,000 specimens of bryophytes and lichens from herbarium sheets to archival storage packets, which will better protect and preserve the specimens for research. The collection of bryophytes at the Field Museum is one of the largest and most significant scientifically, and this project will urgently address storage problems posed by having specimens of small plants mounted on larger herbarium sheets. In addition to re-housing the specimens in better containers, the project will capture data from specimen labels for inclusion in an online, searchable database. The project will involve a large number of college students as interns, as well as a high school student, all of whom will participate in the re-housing and database work.
Collections are critical to scientific research. Collections are indispensable to scientific research including biodiversity studies, systematics, ecology, and conservation. The Botany Department at The Field Museum is re-housing, databasing and digitizing almost 300,000 specimens of bryophytes and lichens. The project addresses the urgent concern over long-term preservation and allows public access via the Field Museum’s web-accessible database. The collections are recognized internationally as a significant resource for systematic and biodiversity studies. The first phase began in 2008 (See abstract here). The second phase started in May 2011 (See abstract here). The bryophyte and lichen collections at The Field Museum are globally important, being one of a few American institutions with an actively growing collections and research program. What are bryophytes and lichens? Bryophytes include three lineages: mosses (Bryophyta), liverworts (Marchantiophyta), and hornworts (Anthercerophyta). Together, bryophytes are pivotal in our understanding of the origin of plants on land and form the second largest group of plants with an estimated 20,000 species. Lichens, on the other hand, are perceived as individual organisms, but in fact comprise symbiotic systems, consisting of a fungal and an algal or cyanobacterial component. Lichens are possibly the oldest rock-inhabiting terrestrial organisms. Bryophytes and lichens are often studied in tandem because they both occupy similar habitats and are spore producing. Urgently addressing storage and preservation problems. Bryophytes and lichens are important components of the vegetation in many regions throughout the world and their ecological and environmental significance is well documented, being indicators of climate change and pollution. The importance of these organisms in the regulation of ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity is becoming increasingly acknowledged. Bryophytes and lichens play a vital role in preventing erosion, plant succession; production of phytomass, decomposition, and as primary producers in the cycling of carbon and nitrogen. Both bryophytes and lichens also have interesting biological properties such as anti-microbial, anti-fungal, cytotoxic, insect antifeedant, and muscle relaxing activity. Specific outcomes of the project. 1) Ensures the long-term protection of specimens; 2) Enables databasing, barcoding, and digitization of label data and storage in the Museum's web accessible database; 3) Consolidates all cryptogam (bryophytes, lichens, fungi, algae, and ferns) collections into a single herbarium space, making them more accessible for staff, students, and visitors; and 4) Significantly improves efficiency for collections management. The database can be accessed at the following url: http://emuweb.fieldmuseum.org/botany/Query.php Education Outreach & Training. Notwithstanding the urgency of the physical improvement of the collections and the databasing initiatives, our project offers far-reaching economic implications in an era of dramatically high unemployment and economic uncertainty. Our project has employed over 20 full-time or part-time staff throughout the tenure of the grant providing much needed support to students and professionals. We are adopting a similar strategy in the current project. Moreover, in a quote we received for the project, we noted the vendor - a small US private business, University Products, stated "As always we greatly appreciate the business you've provided us over the years. It is especially gratifying for a small business such as ours in this difficult economic climate". As part of the project we have purchased over 150,000 custom made paper packets as well over 2000 steel drawers from a U.S. steel company in the Midwest. Education Outreach & Training: A critical value-added component is the strong outreach program in coordination with the Education Department and local universities, including a center for engagement of underrepresented students in science. This included a new partnership with the Student Center for Science Engagement (SCSE) at North Eastern Illinois University (NEIU) which ensured the recruitment of diverse and well qualified candidates underrepresented in science. The project is serving as a model with the employment of over 20 personnel, including interns, throughout the tenure of the project providing exposure to a world-class collection and specimen-based research, as well as personnel participating in numerous programs reaching biology and chemistry teachers and students from Chicago Public schools. The PI and Co-PI’s also mentored senior high students from Chicago public schools under a program sponsored by Motorola, gaining exposure to collections and being mentored by senior undergraduate students, adding to project personnel. International Databasing Initiatives: In addition to the physical improvement and databasing of the entire bryophyte collection, the digitization component of the project adds to the significance of the collections, making them available online to the scientific and broader community worldwide and contributing to international databasing projects. The project is an active contributor to international databasing initiatives such as the Catalogue of Life (Col), the International Plant Name Index (IPNI), TROPICOS, the Global Plants Initiative (GPI), the Global Biological Facility (GBIF), and the Encyclopedia of Life (EoL).
