Computerization of Mollusk Collections of the Western North Atlantic of the Academy of Natural Sciences

最近在费城自然科学院（ANSP）的软体动物收藏是该国最古老的软体动物收藏，也是世界上第二大的编目。 它目前有超过430，000个编目批次，包含约1200万个标本，其中包括30，000 - 35，000个保存在酒精中的批次，为解剖学和遗传学研究提供了极好的材料。 该学院拥有几乎来自世界各地的标本;对于热带印度太平洋的浅水海洋软体动物来说，它是无与伦比的。 其他优势是浅水西大西洋海洋软体动物，以及世界各地的淡水和陆地软体动物。 许多陆地和淡水软体动物现在是濒危或灭绝的物种。 在过去的五年里，已经进行了近300次贷款，共计40，000多件标本，200多篇科学文章承认使用了馆藏资源。 该奖项为西大西洋海洋软体动物收集的计算机化提供支持，包括估计50，000批北美淡水软体动物和45，000批西大西洋海洋软体动物的计算机化将有助于确定物种历史分布模式的变化。 目前几乎没有这样的信息，但不仅需要科学家进行基本的系统和生态研究的软体动物，但提供基线数据，监测重要的北美生态系统的健康湖泊，河流，河口，和沿着海岸。

The recent mollusk collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) is the oldest mollusk collection in the country, and the second largest catalogued one in the world. It currently has more than 430,000 catalogued lots containing about 12 million specimens, including 30,000-35,000 lots preserved in alcohol that provide excellent material for anatomical and genetic studies. The Academy has specimens from virtually all parts of the world; it is unrivaled for shallow-water marines mollusks from the tropical Indo-Pacific. Other strengths are shallow-water Western Atlantic marine mollusks, and worldwide freshwater and land mollusks. Many of the land and freshwater mollusks are species now endangered or extinct. In the past five years, almost 300 loans totaling more than 40,00 specimens have been made, and more than 200 scientific articles have acknowledged use of collection resources. This award provides support for computerizing the collection of Western Atlantic marine mollusks includes computerization of the estimated 50,000 lots of North American freshwat er mollusks and 45, 000 lots of Western Atlantic marine mollusks will help in determining changes in the historical distribution patterns of species. Little such information is currently available, but is needed not only by scientists conducting basic systematic and ecological research on mollusks, but to provide baseline data for monitoring the health of important North American ecosystems in lakes, rivers, estuaries, and along seacoasts.