CSBR: Natural History: Development of the Arkansas Center for Biodiversity Collections to advance biodiversity research and education

CSBR：自然历史：阿肯色州生物多样性收藏中心的发展，以促进生物多样性研究和教育近70年来，自然历史收藏在阿肯色州立大学(A-State)的研究、教育和推广中发挥了核心作用。A-State的联合标本收藏了超过500,000个标本，代表了美国东南部内陆高地、密西西比冲积平原和克劳利岭生态区的区域生物多样性的重要记录。这些收集受到过度拥挤的威胁，导致低效和有限的使用，在某些情况下还会导致标本退化。该项目将A-State的八个收藏品统一到公共空间，配备新的架子、橱柜和新成立的阿肯色州生物多样性收藏品中心(ACBC)下的一个单独数据库。更好地利用ACBC将增加让学生了解自然历史收藏的重要性和效用的机会，并增加A-State学生和更广泛的科学界的研究机会。此外，A州自然历史收藏俱乐部(NHC3)的学生将与策展人合作，开发自然历史展示和K-12班级实地考察旅行，包括生物多样性和标本工作坊，以教育该地区服务不足的学生群体。通过本科生和研究生的积极参与，ACBC将把研究级自然历史收藏与普通公众联系起来，特别是K-12学生。ACBC的使命是为阿肯色州提供一个统一的、可访问的标本储存库和研究中心，包括内陆高地、上密西西比冲积平原和克劳利岭生态区。这一地理区域是北美东部众多分类学群体的主要特有中心，在过去的100年里，这里的景观发生了剧烈的变化。A-State的很大一部分收藏品涵盖了这些独特和多样化的生态系统，并代表了在该地区栖息地转变活动或疾病传播(例如蝙蝠的白鼻症)期间生物群的日期或记录的长期记录。因此，这些收集是当前和未来不断变化的条件的基线数据点。此外，该项目将保存和整理凭证样本，并向科学界提供重要数据，以供小规模和大规模研究(例如，生态学、分类学、生物地理学或应用全球变化研究)。具体的项目目标是：1)通过安装高密度存储系统和新橱柜来缓解过度拥挤并增加增长空间；2)通过改进存储介质和标签来保护收藏；3)完成标本数据的数字化并向公众提供对所有收藏数据的访问；以及4)通过提供以收藏为基础的研讨会和ACBC展示和收藏之旅，制定一个重要的外展计划。为ACBC开发一个网站(acbc.astate.edu)将突出收集活动，目前指定的门户网站(Speciy.astate.edu)将扩大，除更新的标本标本数据外，还将包括ASUMZ标本数据。最后，完整的ACBC数据库将与iDigBio(www.idigBio.org)和其他可公开访问的数据门户(即VertNet、SERNEC和GBIF)相连接。

CSBR: Natural History: Development of the Arkansas Center for Biodiversity Collections to advance biodiversity research and educationNatural history collections have played a central role in research, education, and outreach at Arkansas State University (A-State) for nearly 70 years. Housing more than 500,000 specimens, the combined collections at A-State represent an important record of regional biodiversity from the Interior Highlands, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and Crowley's Ridge ecoregions of the southeastern United States. These collections are threatened by overcrowding, resulting in inefficient and limited use, and specimen degradation in some cases. This project unifies the eight collections at A-State into common spaces with new shelving, cabinetry, and a singular database under the newly formed Arkansas Center for Biodiversity Collections (ACBC). Improved access to the ACBC will increase opportunities to engage students in understanding the importance and utility of natural history collections, as well as enhance research opportunities for A-State students and the broader scientific community. Additionally, students of the A-State Natural History Collections Curation Club (NHC3) will work with curators to develop natural history displays and K-12 class field trip tours including biodiversity and specimen workshops to educate the underserved student populations in the region. Through active undergraduate and graduate student involvement, the ACBC will link research-grade natural history collections to the general public, particularly K-12 students.The ACBC mission is to provide a unified, accessible specimen repository and research center for the State of Arkansas, including the Interior Highlands, Upper Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and Crowley's Ridge ecoregions. This geographical region is a major center of endemism for numerous taxonomic groups in eastern North America, and one that has seen drastic landscape modifications over the past 100 years. A large proportion of the collections at A-State cover these unique and diverse ecosystems and represent long-term records that pre-date or document biota during habitat transforming activities or disease spread (e.g., white-nose syndrome in bats) in the region. These collections, therefore, serve as base-line data points for ongoing and future changing conditions. Additionally, this project will preserve and curate voucher specimens and make available important data to the scientific community for small- and large-scale research (e.g., ecological, taxonomic, biogeographic, or applied global change research). Specific project goals are to: 1) alleviate overcrowding and increase room for growth through installation of high-density storage systems and new cabinetry; 2) secure collections through improved storage media and labeling; 3) complete the digitization of specimen data and provide public access to all collection data; and 4) develop a significant outreach program by providing collections-based workshops and tours of ACBC displays and collections. Development of a website for the ACBC (acbc.astate.edu) will highlight collection activities and the current Specify web portal (specify.astate.edu) will be expanded to include ASUMZ specimen data in addition to updated herbarium specimen data. Finally, the complete ACBC database will be interfaced with iDigBio (www.idigbio.org) and other publicly accessible data portals (i.e., VertNet, SERNEC, and GBIF).