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

合作研究：落基山脉南部地区维管植物区系的链接数据库和交互式密钥

• 批准号: 0239946
• 负责人: Ronald Hartman
• 金额: $ 12.46万
• 依托单位: University of Wyoming
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-08-01 至 2007-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0239946&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Linked; Databases; Interactive

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.

科罗拉多州立大学在Mark Simmons博士的指导下；科罗拉多大学博尔德分校在Thomas Ranker和Robert Guralnick博士的指导下；北科罗拉多大学在Neil Snow博士的指导下；怀俄明大学在Ronald Hartman博士的指导下，获得了合作赠款，以建立一个南落基山脉地区(SRMR)维管植物收藏的在线分布式数据库，并创建一个来自SRMR的在线、互动的维管植物识别检索表。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，以及新墨西哥州中北部的8个县。这里定义的SRMR是一个合理连贯的生态区，基于许多共同的地质和生物学特征，如一些拉莱米德造山作用的山脉，许多维管植物物种被限制在该地区。从东部的半干旱草原，到中部的山地松林、亚高山冷杉林、高山冻原，到西部的峡谷和台地，SRMR具有丰富的生态系统多样性。平原上存在独特的湿地和河岸生态系统，山区经常出现营养不良的溪流和湖泊。这种广泛的生态系统培育了AdiVerse植物群，反映了强烈的地形压力和陡峭的气候梯度。除了科罗拉多州立大学植物标本馆、落基山植物标本馆、科罗拉多大学标本馆和北科罗拉多大学标本馆的标本标本外，分布式数据库还将包括来自SRMR的已在其他地区和国家标本馆建立数据库的标本。在检索库中处理的大约4,000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。对于标本数据库，将创建一个相互通信的数据库联盟。数据库联合会将按照数字通用信息检索小组建议的规格实施。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输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关键字过程中的每个步骤都将记录在案。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，并帮助跟踪未来几十年城市发展造成的生物多样性格局的变化速度和幅度。它将有助于识别生物多样性高的地区、确定引入地点和入侵物种的传播、确定凭证标本的位置以及作为地理信息系统应用的覆盖范围。