Digitization TCN: Collaborative Research: Lepidoptera of North America Network: Documenting Diversity in the Largest Clade of Herbivores

数字化 TCN：合作研究：北美鳞翅目网络：记录最大食草动物分支的多样性

• 批准号: 1601002
• 负责人: Joseph McHugh
• 金额: $ 4.86万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-07-01 至 2022-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1601002&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Digitization; TCN; Collaborative; Research; Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are one of the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet: worldwide there are approximately 160,000 species, including around 14,300 species in North America. Moths and butterflies are a conspicuous component of terrestrial habitats and one of the most diverse groups of plant-feeding animals worldwide. This group insect includes species of great economic importance. Their juveniles feed on plants useful to humans, including grains, cotton, tobacco, and timber and shade trees. However, many of the adults are beneficial as pollinators and are icons of conservation as evidenced by Monarch butterflies. Given their economic importance and sheer beauty, butterflies and moths are one of the most abundant insect group in museum collections, but only a fraction of the approximately 15 million specimens in non-federal collections have had their specimen label information digitally recorded and accessible to researchers and educators. Of those specimens that have been digitized, fewer than 10% of the North American Lepidoptera species have sufficient, accessible occurrence data to make reliable predictions about habitat use, susceptibility to global change impacts, or other ecologically important interactions. This project will digitize and integrate existing, unconnected collections of lepidopterans to leverage the outstanding potential of this group of organisms for transformative research, training and outreach. The Lepidoptera of North America Network (LepNet) comprises 26 research collections that will digitize approximately 2 million specimen records and integrate these with over 1 million existing records. LepNet will digitize 43,280 larval vial records with host plant data, making this the first significant digitization of larvae in North American collections. LepNet will produce ca. 82,000 high-quality images of exemplar species covering 60% of North American lepidopteran species. These images will enhance remote identifications and facilitate systematic, ecological, and global change research. In collaboration with Visipedia, LepNet will create LepSnap, a computer vision tool that can provide automated identifications to the species level. Museum volunteers and student researchers equipped with smartphones will image 132,000 additional research-quality images through LepSnap. Up to 5,000 lepidopteran species will be elevated to a "research ready" status suitable for complex, data-driven analyses. LepNet will build on the existing data portal (SCAN) in consolidating data on Lepidoptera to the evolution of lepidopteran herbivores in North America. Access to these data will be increased through integration with iDigBio. Data for a broad range of research, including the evolutionary ecology of Lepidoptera and their host plants in the context of global change processes affecting biogeographic distributions will be generated. The LepXPLOR! program will spearhead education and outreach efforts for 67 existing programs, engaging a diverse, nationwide workforce of 400+ students and 3,500+ volunteers. Overall, LepNet will generate a sustainable social-research network dedicated to the creation and maintenance of a digital collection of North American Lepidoptera specimens (http://www.lep-net.org/).

鳞翅目（蝴蝶和飞蛾）是地球上最多样化的生物群体之一：全世界大约有160,000种，其中北美约有14,300种。飞蛾和蝴蝶是陆地栖息地的重要组成部分，也是世界上最多样化的植食性动物群体之一。这类昆虫包括具有重大经济意义的物种。它们的幼崽以对人类有用的植物为食，包括谷物、棉花、烟草、木材和遮荫树。然而，许多成年蝴蝶是有益的传粉者，是保护的象征，如黑脉金斑蝶。鉴于它们的经济重要性和纯粹的美丽，蝴蝶和飞蛾是博物馆收藏中数量最多的昆虫群体之一，但在非联邦收藏的大约1500万标本中，只有一小部分的标本标签信息被数字记录下来，供研究人员和教育工作者查阅。在那些已经数字化的标本中，只有不到10%的北美鳞翅目物种有足够的、可访问的发生数据，可以对栖息地的利用、对全球变化影响的易感性或其他重要的生态相互作用做出可靠的预测。该项目将对现有的鳞翅目生物进行数字化和整合，以利用这一生物群体的巨大潜力进行变革性的研究、培训和推广。北美鳞翅目网络（LepNet）包括26个研究收藏，将对大约200万份标本记录进行数字化，并将这些记录与100多万份现有记录整合在一起。LepNet将对含有寄主植物数据的43280个幼虫小瓶记录进行数字化，这是北美收集的第一个重要的幼虫数字化。LepNet将生成约8.2万张高质量的样本物种图像，覆盖北美60%的鳞翅目物种。这些图像将加强远程识别，促进系统、生态和全球变化研究。LepNet将与Visipedia合作创建LepSnap，这是一种计算机视觉工具，可以提供物种级别的自动识别。博物馆志愿者和配备智能手机的学生研究人员将通过LepSnap再拍摄13.2万张研究质量的图像。多达5000种鳞翅目物种将被提升到“可供研究”的状态，适合复杂的、数据驱动的分析。LepNet将以现有的数据门户网站（SCAN）为基础，整合有关北美鳞翅目食草动物进化的鳞翅目数据。通过与iDigBio的整合，将增加对这些数据的访问。将产生广泛的研究数据，包括在影响生物地理分布的全球变化过程背景下鳞翅目及其寄主植物的进化生态学。LepXPLOR !该项目将为67个现有项目提供教育和推广服务，涉及全国400多名学生和3500多名志愿者。总体而言，LepNet将建立一个可持续的社会研究网络，致力于创建和维护北美鳞翅目标本的数字收藏（http://www.lep-net.org/）。