CSBR: Emergency Rescue of the Orphaned Fish Collection of the University of Puerto Rico and Capacity Expansion of the Ichthyology Collection at the Sam Noble Museum

生物收集是了解地球生物多样性的主要信息来源。它们不仅记录了现有的多样性，还提供了基线，以跟踪不同时间和地理的变化，以及局部和全球范围的灭绝。该项目旨在挽救波多黎各大学马亚圭斯分校海洋科学系的孤儿鱼类收藏(UPR-M)，改进标本和相关信息的获取，并扩大萨姆·诺布尔博物馆(SNOMNH)的鱼类学收藏的货架容量。这两个鱼类种群的整合和可获得性有可能被用于多个科学学科，包括生态学、养护生物学、分类学、系统发育学、渔业管理、解剖学和生理学。本提案的拟议活动围绕三个主要目标--救援、整合和长期保存--组织起来，每个目标都与实现总体提案目标的具体时间表相关联。该团队结合了研究生和本科生的专业知识，以及在俄克拉何马州和波多黎各具有不同级别博物馆经验的志愿者，为研讨会和为下一代科学家制定综合培训计划提供了丰富的背景。自然历史收藏作为生物多样性的储存库发挥着基本作用，并提供可核实的、永久的野生动物和过去环境状况的记录。该项目将挽救和保护加勒比地区最大的海洋鱼生物多样性保管库之一--UPR-M鱼类学保藏库，收录了13 000个标本的历史数据，包括濒临灭绝的物种、392属、123个科。将UPR-M鱼类学收藏品纳入SNOMNH，将通过改进实物获取、标本借阅、收藏品数字化以及通过博物馆网站和其他门户网站共享数据，大大增加科学家和其他用户获得收藏品的机会。该项目将加强SNOMNH鱼类学收藏的基础设施，并增加其科学价值和对科学家、教育工作者和普通公众的可及性。SNOMNH鱼类学收藏是大平原下部重要的科学资源和生物遗产，约占美国鱼类多样性的20%。它拥有以淡水鱼为主的各种鱼群(尽管它的范围最近扩大到也包括海洋鱼类物种)，以及俄克拉荷马州溪流和水库的地方性区域鱼类动物群。该项目将为将研究融入学习和教育活动提供多种机会。UPR-M和OU的学生将参加收藏活动，作为他们在波多黎各的学术和实践经验和暑期讲习班的一部分。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Biological collections are a primary source of information to understand Earth’s biodiversity. They not only document existing diversity, but also provide the baseline to track changes across time and geography, as well as extinctions at local and global scales. This project aims to rescue the orphaned Fish Collection of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (UPR-M), improve access to specimens and associated information, and expand the shelving capacity of the Ichthyology Collection at the Sam Noble Museum (SNOMNH). Integration and accessibility of the two fish collections have the potential to be used across multiple scientific disciplines, including ecology, conservation biology, taxonomy, phylogenetics, fisheries management, anatomy, and physiology. The proposed activities for this proposal are organized around three primary goals—rescue, integration, and long-term preservation—each associated with specific timelines to achieve the overarching proposal goals. The team combines expertise of graduate and undergraduate students, and volunteers with museum experience at different levels in Oklahoma and Puerto Rico to provide a rich context for workshops, and for the development of an integrative training program for the next generation of scientists. Natural history collections play a fundamental role as repositories of biodiversity and provide verifiable and permanent records of wildlife and past environmental conditions. This project will rescue and safeguard the UPR-M Ichthyology Collection, one the largest biorepositories of marine fish biodiversity in the Caribbean, encompassing historical data from 13,000 specimens, comprising 805 species, 392 genera, and 123 families in imminent danger to become lost. Integration of the UPR-M Ichthyology collection into the SNOMNH will greatly increase its accessibility to scientists and other users through improved physical access, specimen loans, digitization of the collection, and sharing of data via the museum website, and other network portals. This project will enhance the infrastructure of the SNOMNH Ichthyology Collection and increase its scientific value and accessibility for scientists, educators, and the general public. The SNOMNH Ichthyology Collection is an important scientific resource and biological legacy for the lower Great Plains representing about 20% of the total fish diversity of the United States. It hosts diverse assemblages of mostly freshwater fishes (although its scope has recently expanded to include marine fish species as well), and endemic regional fish fauna from streams and reservoirs in Oklahoma. This project will provide multiple opportunities for integrating research into learning and education activities. Students at UPR-M and OU will participate in the collections-based activities as part of their academic and practical experiences and summer workshops at Puerto Rico.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.