Digitization PEN: Integrating the herbaria of peninsular Florida, a biodiversity hotspot of endemism, rarity, and richness

现有网络（PEN）的合作伙伴将加入东南地区专业知识和收藏网络（SERNEC）主题收集网络（TCN），该合作正在对300多万植物标本进行数字化并使其可访问。这些标本记录了该地区8000多种原生或归化维管植物，是生物多样性的热点。该项目将扩大合作，为SERNEC增加25万份来自仙童热带植物园（FTG）和南佛罗里达大学（USF）的标本馆标本数据记录，这些记录共记录了美国东南部的4000多种植物。由于生物多样性与生产力、生态系统服务和人类健康有着不可分割的联系，这两种植物标本馆的加入将填补知识库中的一个关键空白，最大限度地扩大现有数据，以应对不断增长的人口中的环境变化和资源管理问题。FTG和USF植物标本馆最重要的植物收藏是来自佛罗里达州中部和南部的125,000个标本，比任何其他植物标本馆都要多。该地区的独特特征包括威尔士湖脊、大沼泽地、大西洋海岸脊和佛罗里达群岛，所有这些都经历了严重的栖息地丧失和退化。在美国东南部的8000种本地或归化维管植物中，大约1200种仅在佛罗里达州中部和南部发现。这个数字包括大约290种受威胁或濒临灭绝的植物，130种地方性植物，570种非本地植物和90种入侵植物。该地区的植物多样性对其资源管理至关重要，包括空气、水和土壤质量、农业、采矿、建筑、土地复垦、娱乐和生物多样性保护。通过志愿者、高中生和本科生的参与，FTG和USF将增加对其大量植物标本馆标本的访问，加强该地区植物的科学和教育知识。这些数据通过SERNEC和iDigBio （www.idigbio.org）作为公共资源共享。

This Partner to Existing Network (PEN) will join the South East Regional Network of Expertise and Collections (SERNEC) Thematic Collection Network (TCN), a collaboration that is digitizing and making data accessible for over 3 million plant specimens. These specimens document over 8,000 species of native or naturalized vascular plants in this region, a biodiversity hotspot. This project will extend the collaboration to add a quarter million herbarium specimen data records to SERNEC from the herbaria of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTG) and the University of South Florida (USF), which together document over 4,000 plant species in the southeastern USA. As biodiversity is inextricably linked to productivity, ecosystem services, and human health, the addition of these two herbaria will fill a crucial gap in the knowledge base, maximizing the data available to address environmental change and resource management among a growing human population.The most important botanical collections of the FTG and USF herbaria are the 125,000 specimens from central and south Florida, more than found in any other herbarium. Unique features of this region include the Lakes Wales Ridge, Everglades, Atlantic Coastal Ridge, and Florida Keys, all of which have experienced significant habitat loss and degradation. Among the 8,000 native or naturalized vascular plant species in the southeastern USA, about 1,200 are known only from central and south Florida. This number includes about 290 threatened or endangered, 130 endemic, 570 non-native, and 90 invasive plant species. The plant diversity of this region is of primary importance to the management of its resources, including air, water, and soil quality, agriculture, mining, construction, land reclamation, recreation, and biodiversity conservation. By engaging volunteers and high school and undergraduate students, FTG and USF will increase access to their vast collection of herbarium specimens, bolstering scientific and educational knowledge of plants in the region. These data are shared as a public resource through SERNEC and iDigBio (www.idigbio.org).