Computerization of the Lichen Collection at the Michigan State University Herbarium

密歇根州立大学（Michigan State University）也获得了一笔拨款。将密歇根州立大学植物标本室收集的地衣建立数据库，并将数据发布到网上。这个收藏由大约12万个标本组成，是美国最大的地衣收藏之一，尽管它的地理范围使它真正独一无二。大约一半的藏品来自北美，但它也有许多科学上重要的来自南半球岛屿的植物群，包括许多鲜为人知的地区，如福克兰群岛、胡安费尔南德斯群岛、火地岛、新西兰群岛和凯尔格伦岛。还有来自许多加勒比岛屿和加那利群岛的大量重要藏品。所有与标本相关的数据，包括收集者、收集日期、地点和栖息地，都将被输入数据库，从而可以通过不同类型的搜索来进行特定区域、物种分布和馆藏清单的编制。因此，这个数据库将对研究人员非常有用，也将促进收藏的管理。由于建立的地衣数据库很少，而且没有一个覆盖的地理区域如此广泛，这些数据将成为地衣分布的最重要的基于网络的工具。所有与标本相关的书面数据将录入数据库。该数据库将放在密歇根州立大学植物生物学网站服务器上，并可通过互联网进行全面搜索。学生和植物标本室的工作人员将输入数据，这些数据将被验证准确性，并将用条形码标记每个标本。植物标本室职员将负责定期更新网上资料库中最近输入的资料。该项目将提供促进地衣研究所需的基线信息。地衣很重要，因为它们被广泛用作估计污染和气候变化影响的生物指标。它们也是所有陆地生态系统的重要组成部分，从热带地区到极地地区，从海平面以下到最高的山脉，从最自然、最原始的环境到城市群的中心。作为该项目的一部分，12名本科生，3名研究生和另外一名全职临时工作人员将接受植物标本室程序的培训，并获得地衣的经验。在互联网上提供这些数据将作为一种将数据送回收集这些数据的许多国家，特别是发展中国家的方式。它还将影响正在发生的生物多样性危机，特别是影响到许多热带和亚热带地区的收藏。通过促进对这些生物的研究，这个项目将为社会带来巨大的利益。

A grant has been awarded to Michigan State University, under the direction of Drs. Prather and Fryday, to database the Lichen Collection of the MSU herbarium and make the data available online. The collection consists of about 120, 000 specimens and is one of the largest lichen collections in the U.S, although it is the geographical scope of the collection that makes it truly unique. Around half the collections are from North America, but it also has scientifically important collections from many Southern Hemisphere island floras, including many very poorly known areas, such as the Falkland Islands, Juan Fernandez Islands, Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand islands, and Iles Kerguelen. There are also large and important collections from many Caribbean islands and the Canary Islands. All of the data associated with the specimens, including collector, collection date, locality, and habitat will be entered into the database and thus checklists of specific areas, distributions of species, and construction of lists of holdings can now be conducted through different types of searches. Consequently, this database will be extremely useful to researchers and also will facilitate curation of the collection. Since so few lichen databases are established, and none of them cover as broad a geographic region, these data will be the foremost web-based tool for lichen distribution.All written data associated with the specimens will be entered into a database. This database will be placed on the MSU Plant Biology web server and made fully searchable over the Internet. Students and herbarium employees will enter the data, which will be verified for accuracy, and will also label each specimen with a barcode. Herbarium staff will be responsible for updating the online database with recently entered data at regular intervals. This project will provide baseline information that is needed to facilitate research on lichens. Lichens are important because they are widely used as bioindicators for estimating the impact of pollution and climate change. They are also an important component of all terrestrial ecosystems, from the tropics to the polar regions, from below sea-level to the highest mountains, from the most natural, untouched environments to the centers of urban conglomerations. As part of this project, twelve undergraduate students, three graduate students, and one additional full-time, temporary staff member will receive training in herbarium procedures and gain experience with lichens. The availability of the data on the Internet will serve as a form of data repatriation to the many countries, especially developing ones, from which the collections were made. It will also impact the ongoing biodiversity crisis that affects, in particular, many of the tropical and subtropical regions represented among the collections. By facilitating research on these organisms this project will provide a tremendous benefit to society.