Collaborative Research: Linked Databases and Interactive Key for the Vascular Flora of the Southern Rocky Mountain Region

在Mark Simmons博士的指导下，科罗拉多州立大学获得了一项合作资助；在科罗拉多大学博尔德分校。托马斯·兰克和罗伯特·古拉尔尼克；在北科罗拉多大学尼尔·斯诺博士的指导下；在RonaldHartman博士的指导下，与怀明大学合作，建立了一个来自南落基山脉地区（SRMR）维管植物的在线分布式数据库，并创建了一个来自SRMR的维管植物的在线交互式识别密钥。该项目覆盖的地区包括整个科罗拉多州、怀俄明州南部的9个县和新墨西哥州中北部的8个县。这里所定义的SRMR是基于许多共同的地质和生物特征，如Laramide造山运动的山链数量，以及许多维管植物物种局限于该地区的一个合理的一致性生态区域。青藏高原东部有半干旱草原，中部有高山松林、亚高山云杉林和高山冻土带，西部有峡谷和台地，生态系统多样性丰富。平原上有独特的湿地和河岸生态系统，山区有营养贫乏的河流和湖泊。这种广泛的生态系统培育了多样的植物群，并反映了强烈的地形强迫和陡峭的气候梯度。除了科罗拉多州立大学植物标本馆、落基山植物标本馆、科罗拉多大学植物标本馆和北科罗拉多大学植物标本馆的标本外，分布式数据库还将纳入SRMR数据库中已在其他地区和国家植物标本馆建立的标本。交互式密钥将使用Lucid专业版2.1制作，主要用于在线使用。在钥匙中处理的大约4000种物种中的每一种都将有相关的窗口，描述其相关的名称、分布、凭证标本和图像。对于样本数据库，将创建一个相互通信的Federation ofDatabases。数据库联盟将按照数字通用信息检索组建议的规范来实施。地理参考对于制作静态或动态物种地图或地图集以及将数据导入地理信息系统至关重要。所有标本都将作为该项目的一部分进行地理参考。创建链接数据库和交互密钥过程中的每一步都将被记录。明确的文件也将提供给未来的调查人员成为初始数据库联盟的一部分。该项目建立的标本数据库将记录和定位该地区目前存在的维管植物多样性，并有助于追踪未来几十年城市发展导致的生物多样性模式变化的速度和幅度。它将有助于识别生物多样性高的地区，确定入侵物种的引入和传播点，定位代用标本，并作为地理信息系统应用的覆盖范围。这项建议的教育意义将扩大这个项目的用途。

A collaborative grant has been awarded to Colorado State University under the directionof Dr. Mark Simmons; University of Colorado at Boulder under the direction of Drs.Thomas Ranker and Robert Guralnick; University of Northern Colorado under thedirection of Dr. Neil Snow; and University of Wyoming under the direction of Dr. RonaldHartman to produce an online distributed database of collections of vascular plants fromthe Southern Rocky Mountain Region (SRMR) and create an online, interactiveidentification key for vascular plants from the SRMR. The region covered by this projectincludes the entire State of Colorado, nine counties from southern Wyoming, and eightcounties from northcentral New Mexico. The SRMR as defined here is a reasonablycoherent ecoregion based on many shared geological and biological features, such as anumber of mountain chains of Laramide orogeny, and many vascular plant species arerestricted to this region. The SRMR is characterized by a rich diversity of ecosystems,ranging from semi-arid grasslands to the east, through montane pine, subalpinespruce-fir forests, and alpine tundra in the center, to canyons and mesas in the west.Unique wetland and riparian ecosystems exist on the plains, and nutrient-poor streamsand lakes are frequent in the mountains. This broad range of ecosystems fosters adiverse flora, and is reflective of strong topographic forcings and steep climaticgradients. In addition to herbarium specimens at the Colorado State UniversityHerbarium, the Rocky Mountain Herbarium, the University of Colorado Herbarium, andthe University of Northern Colorado Herbarium, the distributed database will incorporatespecimens from the SRMR that have been databased at other regional and nationalherbaria.The interactive key will be produced using Lucid Professional version 2.1, which isintended primarily for use online. Each of the approximately 4,000 species treated inthe key will have associated windows describing its associated names, distribution,voucher specimens, and images. For the specimen database, a Federation ofDatabases that communicate with each other will be created. The Federation ofDatabases will be implemented by following the specifications suggested by the DigitalGeneric Information Retrieval group. Georeferencing is crucial for the production ofstatic or dynamic species maps or atlases and for the import of data into GeographicInformation Systems. All specimens will be georeferenced as part of this project. Eachstep in the process of creating linked databases and the interactive key will bedocumented. Clear documentation will also be provided for becoming part of the initialdatabase federation to future investigators.The specimen database established by this project will document and locate thevascular plant diversity that currently exists in this region, and help track the rate andmagnitude of change in biodiversity patterns caused by urban development over thenext several decades. It will be useful for discerning areas of high biodiversity,determining the point of introduction and the spread of invasive species, locatingvoucher specimens, and as a coverage in geographic-information-systems applications.The educational implications of the proposal will extend the usefulness of this project.