CSBR: Natural History: Facilitating Collections-Based Research on Insect Pollinators of the Sonoran Desert Region

蜜蜂、蝴蝶、飞蛾和苍蝇被认为是开花植物最有效的昆虫授粉者。该项目将保护在索诺兰沙漠和马德雷天空岛地区收集的传粉昆虫标本，这些标本目前处于危险之中，因为它们被安置在个人收藏品中或大学中，这些大学不支持更广泛的昆虫研究收藏品，而策展人员将促进材料的未来护理。由此产生的专业策划，全面的收集将反映在这个生物多样性热点发现的物种的杰出多样性。该系列还将促进亚利桑那大学正在进行的几项研究和培训计划，包括我们为传粉者提供分子鉴定资源的计划，该地区本地蜜蜂的长期监测项目，以及通过检查传粉者的eDNA将传粉者与其宿主植物联系起来的研究项目。该项目将使公众和各级学生（K-12、社区学院和大学本科生以及研究生）受益。由研究生领导的策展团队将直接参与这个垂直整合项目的各个方面，为他们提供领导机会和博物馆科学培训。研究人员将从标本中获取标签数据，并将这些数据发布在蜕皮、节肢动物共生群网络（SCAN）、iDigBio和全球生物多样性信息设施（GBIF）上。此外，1，200个本地植物标本，已经数字化和地理参考，并与66，000个授粉的本地蜜蜂标本相关联，将被安装在植物标本表上，进入UA植物标本馆，并添加到西南环境信息网络（SEINet）。扩展的标本网络功能在蜕皮和SEINet将允许科学家与他们的寄主植物物种和特定的寄主植物标本，当这些是可用的，从而使这两个大型共生数据库网络之间的正式关联，这将促进授粉植物的研究和持续的标本数字化的努力。一个精心策划的，全面的昆虫传粉者和相关元数据的数字化收集将直接和立即受益于几个学生培训项目，包括基于课程的本科生研究经验（CURES）在两个西班牙裔服务机构：皮马社区学院（PCC）和亚利桑那大学（UA）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Bees, butterflies, moths, and flies are considered among the most efficient insect pollinators of flowering plants. This project will protect specimens of pollinators collected within the Sonoran Desert and Madrean Sky Island regions that are presently at risk since they are housed either in personal collections or at universities that do not support broader research collections of insects with curatorial staff that would foster future care of the material. The resulting professionally curated, comprehensive collection will reflect the outstanding diversity of species found within this biodiversity hotspot. The collection will also facilitate several ongoing research and training initiatives at the University of Arizona, including our program providing molecular identification resources for pollinators, long-term monitoring projects of native bees in the region, and research projects linking pollinators with their host plants by examining the eDNA of pollinators left on the flowers they visit. The project will benefit the public and students at all levels (K-12, community college and university undergraduates, and graduate students). Curatorial teams, led by graduate students, will be directly involved in all aspects of this vertically integrated project, providing them leadership opportunities and training in museum science. Researchers will capture label data from specimens and publish those data on the Ecdysis, Symbiota Collections of Arthropods Network (SCAN), iDigBio, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). In addition, 1,200 native plant specimens, which have already been digitized and georeferenced and which are associated with 66,000 native bee specimens that pollinate them, will be mounted on herbarium sheets, accessioned into the UA Herbarium, and added to the Southwestern Environmental Information Network (SEINet). Extended Specimen Network functions in Ecdysis and SEINet will allow scientists to link specimens of pollinators with their host plant species and specific host plant specimens when those are available, thus making a formal association between these two large Symbiota database networks which will promote pollinator-plant research and continued specimen digitization efforts. A well curated, comprehensive collection of insect pollinators and digitization of associated metadata will directly and immediately benefit several student training projects including Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) at two Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Pima Community College (PCC) and the University of Arizona (UA).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.