Partnership to the New England Vascular Plant Network for the University of Maine Herbarium

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Data from Maine fills an important gap in the study of environmental changes in New England. The state comprises about half the total area of New England, extending about 2.5 degrees north and 3 degrees east of the rest of New England. Plant specimens in the University of Maine Herbarium record both the spatial and temporal distribution of species over the past 170 years. These specimens, along with associated data, inform the study of environmental changes in Maine and New England. In this project the University of Maine Herbarium will complete the databasing of specimen records and generate high-quality digital images of 55,000 plant specimens. These digitized data will contribute to the accomplishment of the research and outreach goals of the New England Vascular Plant Network.High quality images of herbarium specimens can be used to study shifts in the abundance, distribution, and reproduction of plants, as influenced by environmental change, document the number of populations of rare plants and the introduction and spread of invasive plants. They can also be used to gather information indicative of plant response to change, and train the public and professionals in techniques of plant identification, structure and developmental changes over time. The project will directly train undergraduates and members of an amateur botanical society. This award is made as part of the National Resource for Digitization of Biological Collections through the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program and all data resulting from this award will be available through the national resource (iDigBio.org).