Computerization of the Lichen Collection at the Michigan State University Herbarium

密歇根州立大学在普莱瑟博士和弗赖迪博士的指导下获得了一笔赠款，用于建立密歇根州立大学植物标本馆地衣标本集的数据库，并将数据提供给网上。该收藏品包括大约120，000个标本，是美国最大的地衣收藏品之一，尽管它的地理范围使其真正独特。大约一半的标本来自北美，但它也有来自南半球许多岛屿植物区系的科学重要标本，包括许多鲜为人知的地区，如福克兰群岛，胡安费尔南德斯群岛，火地岛，新西兰岛屿和凯尔盖朗岛。还有来自许多加勒比岛屿和加那利群岛的大量重要收藏。所有与标本相关的数据，包括采集者、采集日期、地点和栖息地，都将输入数据库，因此，现在可以通过不同类型的搜索进行特定区域的清单、物种分布和馆藏清单的构建。因此，该数据库将对研究人员非常有用，也将促进收藏的管理。由于地衣数据库很少，而且没有一个覆盖广泛的地理区域，这些数据将是地衣分布的最重要的基于网络的工具。所有与标本相关的书面数据将被输入数据库。该数据库将被放置在密歇根州立大学植物生物学网络服务器上，并在互联网上完全搜索。学生和植物标本馆的工作人员将输入数据，这些数据将被验证的准确性，并将标签与条形码每个标本。植物标本室的工作人员将负责定期更新在线数据库中最近输入的数据。该项目将提供促进地衣研究所需的基线信息。地衣之所以重要，是因为它们被广泛用作估计污染和气候变化影响的生物指标。它们也是所有陆地生态系统的重要组成部分，从热带到极地，从海平面以下到最高的山脉，从最自然、最原始的环境到城市群的中心。作为该项目的一部分，12名本科生，3名研究生和一名额外的全职临时工作人员将接受植物标本室程序的培训，并获得地衣的经验。在因特网上提供数据将成为向许多国家，特别是向发展中国家，提供数据的一种形式，因为这些数据是从这些国家收集的。它还将影响到目前的生物多样性危机，特别是影响到收藏品中的许多热带和亚热带地区。通过促进对这些生物的研究，该项目将为社会带来巨大的利益。

A grant has been awarded to Michigan State University, under the direction of Drs. Prather and Fryday, to database the Lichen Collection of the MSU herbarium and make the data available online. The collection consists of about 120, 000 specimens and is one of the largest lichen collections in the U.S, although it is the geographical scope of the collection that makes it truly unique. Around half the collections are from North America, but it also has scientifically important collections from many Southern Hemisphere island floras, including many very poorly known areas, such as the Falkland Islands, Juan Fernandez Islands, Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand islands, and Iles Kerguelen. There are also large and important collections from many Caribbean islands and the Canary Islands. All of the data associated with the specimens, including collector, collection date, locality, and habitat will be entered into the database and thus checklists of specific areas, distributions of species, and construction of lists of holdings can now be conducted through different types of searches. Consequently, this database will be extremely useful to researchers and also will facilitate curation of the collection. Since so few lichen databases are established, and none of them cover as broad a geographic region, these data will be the foremost web-based tool for lichen distribution.All written data associated with the specimens will be entered into a database. This database will be placed on the MSU Plant Biology web server and made fully searchable over the Internet. Students and herbarium employees will enter the data, which will be verified for accuracy, and will also label each specimen with a barcode. Herbarium staff will be responsible for updating the online database with recently entered data at regular intervals. This project will provide baseline information that is needed to facilitate research on lichens. Lichens are important because they are widely used as bioindicators for estimating the impact of pollution and climate change. They are also an important component of all terrestrial ecosystems, from the tropics to the polar regions, from below sea-level to the highest mountains, from the most natural, untouched environments to the centers of urban conglomerations. As part of this project, twelve undergraduate students, three graduate students, and one additional full-time, temporary staff member will receive training in herbarium procedures and gain experience with lichens. The availability of the data on the Internet will serve as a form of data repatriation to the many countries, especially developing ones, from which the collections were made. It will also impact the ongoing biodiversity crisis that affects, in particular, many of the tropical and subtropical regions represented among the collections. By facilitating research on these organisms this project will provide a tremendous benefit to society.