Improvements to the Auburn University Aquatic Invertebrate, Fish, and Amphibian and Reptile Collections

奥本大学获得了一笔拨款，用于资助奥本大学自然历史学习中心（aunlc）水生无脊椎动物、鱼类、两栖动物和爬行动物收藏的急需改进。Armbruster， Feminella和Guyer。aunlc的博物馆藏品描述了世界上生物多样性的温床之一。就生物多样性而言，阿拉巴马州是最重要的州之一，不幸的是，它也是最濒危的州之一。由于奥本大学的藏品记录了这些不同温带生态系统的丰富历史，这些藏品对区域保护规划尤为重要。该提案旨在资助改善奥本大学水生无脊椎动物、鱼类、两栖动物和爬行动物的收藏。这里的鱼群是美国东南部最大的鱼群之一，其生长速度远远超过全国平均水平。它被Poss和Collette（1996）列为重要的收藏品。该收藏目前有来自世界各地的标本，但最具代表性的是美国东南部。奥本的两栖动物和爬行动物收藏是阿拉巴马州首屈一指的爬行动物收藏，并拥有来自周边地区的重要藏品。两栖动物和爬行动物的收藏已被广泛使用，特别是在制作实地指南，如“阿拉巴马州的爬行动物和两栖动物”（Mount, 1975），一个广受好评的地区指南。通过工作人员的研究努力和收养孤儿，水生无脊椎动物的收藏是奥本大学所有收藏中增长速度最快的。软体动物的增长尤其强劲，其中包括大量受威胁、濒危和灭绝的淡水贻贝和陆生蜗牛。阿拉巴马州的软体动物种类繁多，但直到最近在奥本的努力下，阿拉巴马州还没有一个地方可以容纳这些标本。除软体动物外，水生无脊椎动物收藏还包括昆虫、寡毛纲和甲壳类等许多其他类群的标本。目前，该博物馆正处于其历史上最多产的时期。这所大学制定了一项雄心勃勃的计划，为这些藏品提供一个更永久的家。为了实现这一目标，该机构已承诺为馆藏的日常运作提供资金支持，并在这笔赠款提供初步资金后为馆藏人员提供财政资源。这笔资金将包括聘请第二名收集经理、一名为期一年的全职技术人员，以及为完成本研究目标的研究生研究助理。此外，还为水生无脊椎动物、鱼类、两栖动物和爬行动物标本的放置和个案工作提供支持，并整合积压的材料，重新整理标本，将标本从异丙醇转移到乙醇中，以使标本标准化。这笔资金的大部分用于支付完成这个项目所必需的人员。博物馆的收藏是我们记录一个地区生物多样性并为子孙后代保存它的唯一手段。随着人类发展对地区的影响越来越大，物种收集在描述历史分布、揭示物种灭绝的可能原因以及为如何恢复退化的生态系统提供洞见方面相应地变得更加重要。奥本大学的馆藏积极在互联网上发布馆藏记录，一些基于网络的项目（如基于互联网的物种密钥）正在进行中，以向人们展示和教育全球和当地的生物多样性。

A grant has been awarded to Auburn University to fund critically needed improvements to the Auburn University Natural History Learning Center's (AUNHLC) aquatic invertebrate, fish, and amphibian and reptile collections under the direction of Drs. Armbruster, Feminella and Guyer. The museum collections housed in AUNHLC describe one of the world's hotbeds of biological diversity. Alabama is among the most important states in terms of biodiversity, and, unfortunately, is one of the most imperiled. Because collections at Auburn University document the rich history of these diverse temperate ecosystems, these collections are particularly important for regional conservation planning. This proposal is designed to fund improvements to the aquatic invertebrate, fish, and amphibian and reptile collections at Auburn University. The fish collection is one of the largest in the southeastern United States and it exhibits a growth rate that is far in excess of the nationwide average. It was ranked as an important collection by Poss and Collette (1996). The collection currently has specimens from around the world, but has its strongest representation in the southeastern United States. The amphibian and reptile collection at Auburn is the premier herpetofaunal collection from Alabama and has significant holdings from surrounding regions. The amphibian and reptile collection has been used extensively, particularly in the production of field guides such as "The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama" (Mount, 1975), an acclaimed regional guide. The aquatic invertebrate collection has the greatest rate of growth of any of the collections at Auburn University through research efforts of the staff and adoption of orphaned collections. Growth is particularly strong in mollusks, which includes significant holdings of threatened, endangered, and extinct freshwater mussels and terrestrial snails. Alabama has a tremendous diversity of molluscs, but until recent efforts at Auburn, Alabama has lacked a place in the state to house specimens. In addition to molluscs, the aquatic invertebrate collection also contains specimens of may other taxa including insects, oligochaetes, and crustaceans. Currently, the museum is enjoying the most productive period in its history. The university has laid out an ambitious plan to provide a more permanent home for the collections. To achieve this goal, the institution has pledged monetary support for the day-to-day operations of the collections, and financial resources for collection personnel following the initial funding provided by this grant. This funding will include money for a second collection manager, a fulltime technician for one year, and for graduate research assistants to accomplish the goals of this study. In addition, support is provided for shelving and casework for the aquatic invertebrate, fish, and amphibian and reptile collections and incorporation of backlog materials, reorganization of the collections, and transfer of specimens from isopropanol to ethanol so that the collections are standardized. The greatest part of the funding is for the personnel that are essential for the completion of this project. Museum collections are our only means of recording the biodiversity of an area and saving it for future generations. As areas become increasingly impacted by human development, collections become correspondingly more important in describing historical distributions, suggesting what might have caused species extirpations, and providing insight into how degraded ecosystems might be restored. The collections at Auburn are active in releasing collection records on the internet, and several web-based projects (such as internet-based species keys) are underway to expose and educate people about global as well as local biodiversity.