CSBR: Natural History Collections: Curation, Digitization, Integration, and On-Line Access of Two Exceptional Invertebrate Fossil Research Collections

该项目寻求资金来拯救两个独特的收藏品，并将它们永久地安置在佛罗里达自然历史博物馆（FLMNH）的无脊椎古生物学部门。这些藏品在其本国机构已得不到足够的存放。两者中较大的是一个特殊的，全国独特的微型软体动物化石库存。第二个集合由关键的参考标本组成，最初用于开发一种强大的化石数字年龄测定技术（氨基酸消旋化法）。这两个收藏将广泛用于研究、教育和新一代科学家的培训。不同的观众将直接受益于利用这些藏品开发的两个新展览。此外，还将编制两份鉴定指南，并将通过在线门户网站和FLMNH的图片库提供1 500张标本图像。该项目将包括对本科生实习生进行实际操作培训，撰写时事通讯文章并与当地团体进行交谈，并为FLMNH和其他地方的公共展览提供重要标本。该项目旨在整理、数字化和发布佛罗里达自然历史博物馆（FLMNH）最近获得的两个独特的无脊椎动物化石收藏的数据。第一批藏品（约30,000件）是由Lyle Campbell（南卡罗莱纳大学，北州）在弗吉尼亚州，卡罗莱纳州和佐治亚州的新生代矿床进行了40年的野外工作后收集的。该收藏是全国独一无二的科学资源，代表了分类上多样的小软体动物生物清单。第二批样品（约3000件）由特拉华大学的John Wehmiller在过去的35年里，在氨基酸消旋化（AAR）定年方法的发展过程中收集而成。这两个藏品将被整合到指定6.6中，这是一个关系数据库，统一了所有FLMNH古生物学和新学标本收藏。该项目将为全球研究界提供两个重要的收藏，从而促进研究。在FLMNH的馆藏中，大量的、罕见的和未描述的小软体动物物种的收集将对软体动物学家和古生物学家具有广泛的价值。这些标本对于填补化石记录的空白（如热带古近系）特别有价值，并且特别适合于定量宏观生态学研究（如生态位建模）。第二个集合包含地质年代学研究所需的关键参考资料，以验证过去的研究成果，并协助第四纪地质年代学家制定新的测年策略。项目建成后，将获得有关新生代无脊椎动物时空分布的高质量新数据。这些记录将完全集成到现有的数据网络中（例如，iDigBio、GBIF、PBDB和Earth Cube）。

This project seeks funding to salvage two unique collections and permanently house them in the Invertebrate Paleontology Division of the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH). These collections were no longer afforded adequate storage at their home institutions. The larger of the two is an exceptional, nationally unique inventory of fossil micro-mollusks. The second collection is composed of critical reference specimens used originally to develop a powerful technique for numerical age dating of fossils (the amino acid racemization method). Both collections will be used extensively in research, education, and training of a new generation of scientists. Diverse audiences will benefit directly from two new exhibits developed using these collections. Additionally, two identification guides will be produced and 1,500 specimen images will be made available through on-line portals and the FLMNH's image galleries. The project will involve hands-on training of undergraduate interns, result in newsletter articles and talks to local groups, and contribute important specimens to public exhibits at the FLMNH and elsewhere.This project seeks to curate, digitize, and publish data from two unique invertebrate fossil collections recently acquired by the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH). The first collection (~30,000 lots) was assembled by Lyle Campbell (University of South Carolina, Upstate) during 40 years of fieldwork in Cenozoic deposits of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. The collection is a nationally unique scientific resource representing a taxonomically diverse bio-inventory of micro-mollusks. The second collection (~3,000 lots) was assembled by John Wehmiller (University of Delaware) over the past 35 years during the development of amino acid racemization (AAR) dating methods. Both collections will be integrated into the Specify 6.6, a relational database that unifies all FLMNH paleontological and neontological specimen collections. The project will make two significant collections readily available to the global research community, thus providing a stimulus for research. The collection of numerous, rare, and undescribed species of micro-mollusks, severely underrepresented in FLMNH's holdings, will be of broad value to malacologists and paleontologists. This collection is particularly valuable for filling gaps in the fossil record (e.g., tropical Paleogene) and are uniquely suitable for quantitative macro-ecological studies (e.g., ecological niche modeling). The second collection contains key reference materials for geochronological studies needed to validate past research findings and assist Quaternary geochronologists with the development of new dating strategies. Upon completion, the project will result in novel high-quality data on spatial and temporal distribution of Cenozoic invertebrates. These records will be fully integrated into existing data networks (e.g., iDigBio, GBIF, PBDB, and Earth Cube).