Montana Flora Online: Constructing a Web-Searchable Database of the Vascular Plant Collections of the University of Montana Herbarium (MONTU)

在Lila Fishman和Elizabeth Crone博士的指导下，蒙大拿大学获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持基于蒙大拿大学植物标本馆（MONTU）标本集的蒙大拿植物群网络搜索数据库。 MONTU是蒙大拿州和全国科学家，管理人员和教育工作者的独特资源。它拥有来自北方落基山脉地区最大的维管植物标本收藏，是关于蒙大拿州植物的历史，分类，地理和生态信息的独特知识库。拟议的项目将提高科学家和更广泛的公众对UM植物标本馆收藏的效用。该项目将把蒙图72，000个蒙大拿维管植物标本的地理参考标签数据转移到一个强大的数据库程序中，将标本数据与照片档案和动态分布图相结合，并以简单灵活的在线格式呈现综合信息。 一个网络搜索数据库的蒙图标本的发展将改善管理的集合，加快正在进行的努力，写一个说明植物群蒙大拿州的专着，增加有价值的缺失信息的区域和国家数据库的生物多样性，并加强在UM和全国范围内的分类，生态和进化研究。数据库项目还为将植物标本馆纳入大学一级的教学和培训提供了新的机会。标本产地数据的在线访问扩大了植物标本馆的效用，从植物学/植物鉴定到多个部门的生态和保护类。此外，数据库项目将为学生提供数据输入、地理参考、收藏品管理和植物分类学方面的培训，为本科生提供计算机数据库和网页设计培训，并为研究生提供管理、植物分类学和指导经验，MONTU维管植物数据库将成为该地区联邦、州部落和私人土地管理的宝贵资源。公共土地的管理者，占蒙大拿州面积的大部分，目前严重依赖于UM植物标本馆的植物分类和分布信息。标本数据库和交互式地图将大大增加这些已建立的用户获取标本数据的机会，并将使更多的用户能够获取标本数据。通过将标本数据与地图和照片相结合，在线蒙大拿州植物群数据库也将成为K-12教育的优秀资源，为课堂研究项目创造机会，使用植物标本馆数据来生成和测试有关当地植物群的假设。为了确保最大程度地了解植物标本馆数据库并培训潜在用户，该项目还包括在最后一年举办两次讲习班。 其中一个将向来自全州的部落土地管理人员演示MONTU和类似数据库的使用，另一个将向当地教师介绍数据库和与草药有关的课堂项目。

A grant has been awarded to the University of Montana under the direction of Drs. Lila Fishman and Elizabeth Crone for partial support of a web-searchable database of the Montana Flora based on the specimen collections of The University of Montana Herbarium (MONTU). MONTU is a unique resource for scientists, managers and educators in Montana and nationwide. It has the largest collection of vascular plant specimens from the Northern Rocky Mountain region and is a unique repository of historical, taxonomic, biogeographical and ecological information about Montana plants. The proposed project will enhance the utility of the UM Herbarium collection to both scientists and the wider public. The project will transfer the georeferenced label data from MONTU's 72,000 Montana vascular plant specimens into a powerful database program, integrate the specimen data with photo archives and dynamic distribution maps, and present the integrated information in a simple and flexible online format. The development of a web-searchable database of the MONTU specimens will improve management of the collection, accelerate an ongoing effort to write an illustrated Flora of Montana monograph, add valuable missing information to regional and national databases of biotic diversity, and enhance taxonomic, ecological and evolutionary research at UM and nationwide. The databasing project also provides new opportunities for integration of the Herbarium into teaching and training at the University level. The online accessibility of specimen locality data enlarges the utility of the Herbarium from botany/plant identification to a range of ecology and conservation classes across multiple Divisions. In addition, the databasing project will provide training for students in data entry, georeferencing, collections curation and plant taxonomy, provide computer databasing and web design training for undergraduate students, and provide curatorial, plant taxonomy and mentoring experience to graduate students.The MONTU vascular plant database will be a valuable resource for the management of federal, state tribal and private lands throughout the region. Managers of public lands, which make up the majority of Montana's area, currently rely heavily on plant taxonomy and distribution information from the UM Herbarium. The specimen database and interactive maps will greatly increase the accessibility of specimen data to these established users and will broaden access to a larger audience. By combined specimen data with maps and photos, the online Montana flora database will also be an excellent resource of K-12 education, creating the opportunity for classroom research projects using Herbarium data to generate and test hypotheses about the local flora. To ensure the greatest awareness of Herbarium database and train potential users, the project also includes two workshops in the final year. One will demonstrate uses of the MONTU and similar databases to tribal land managers from throughout the state and one will introduce the database and Herbarium-related classroom projects to local teachers.