Digitization PEN: Adding unique molluscan live-dead data from the Paleontological Research Institution to the Eastern Seaboard TCN

古生物研究所(PRI)将加入东海岸专题收集网络(ESB TCN)，作为现有网络(PEN)的合作伙伴。PRI的收集收藏了数百个来自美国大西洋和墨西哥湾海岸的大量软体动物样本，这些样本与TCN将可靠的活体特征数据与软体动物标本记录联系起来的目标高度相关。增加收集到的软体动物的活-死状态，极大地促进了关于动物随着时间的变化以及它们如何与某些具有环境意义的事件相关的研究。该项目将增加这些藏品的可及性和可发现性，可用于评估美国大西洋和墨西哥湾沿岸河口资源的现状和趋势，特别是牡蛎礁。将为该项目数字化的活体样本将有助于：1)确定经常被忽视的河口生境基线，以及在气候变化、入侵物种、污染、过度捕捞和生境破坏日益增加的压力下，2)检测最近的自然和人为环境变化，3)对历史变异性范围进行叙述，4)设定现实的恢复目标，5)认识到只有今天生态系统中不存在的事件或条件才能解释的生态遗产。这些数据将有助于指导这些脆弱栖息地的管理、规划和恢复工作。该项目的外联活动将提高人们对博物馆藏品在解决环境变化问题方面的价值的认识。该项目将利用增强的数据(例如，地理参考、更新的分类、标本级别的特征数据)将约158,500个标本数字化--其中标本的活死状态已知--并通过在线数据聚合器，如iDigBio.org动员它们。这些活动对ESB TCN的主要好处包括：1)增加可靠的活死收集的特征数据的数量，2)增加软体动物物种早期生命阶段的代表，特别是对于经济和生态上重要的牡蛎，3)增加河口软体动物分类的代表，以及4)帮助填补ESB TCN数据集中的地理空白。对27个ESB类型标本进行成像也将支持ESB TCN的目标，即将经核实的标本记录与模式标本的照片联系起来，帮助增加公众获得可靠物种信息的机会。除了PRI将为ESB TCN贡献的活体数据的科学价值之外，该项目还将建立在PRI开发开放获取的、关于古生物学和化石记录的在线入门级教科书材料方面的强大历史基础上。具体的外展活动包括：1)为现有的古代生命数字百科全书(Deal)关于保护古生物学的章节开发一个关于活死软体动物研究重要性的新页面，以及2)创建一个简短(3-5分钟)的视频，说明活死软体动物研究作为保护工具的重要性，将分享到PRI的YouTube频道，并嵌入到Deal页面本身。该奖项反映了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。

The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) will join the Eastern Seaboard Thematic Collection Network (ESB TCN) as a Partner to an Existing Network (PEN). The PRI’s collection houses hundreds of bulk samples of mollusks from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States that are highly relevant to the TCN’s goal of linking reliable live-dead trait data to molluscan specimen records. Adding the live-dead status of the mollusks collected greatly facilitates research regarding faunal changes over time and how they correlate with certain environmentally significant events. This project will increase the accessibility and discoverability of these collections, which can be used to assess the status and trends of estuarine resources along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, particularly oyster reefs. The live-dead samples to be digitized for this project will help: 1) define baselines for estuarine habitats that are often overlooked, and under increasing stress from climate change, invasive species, pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction, 2) detect recent natural and anthropogenic environmental changes, 3) develop a narrative of the historical range of variability, 4) set realistic targets for restoration, and 5) recognize ecological legacies that can be explained only by events or conditions that are not present in the ecosystem today. These data will help guide management, planning, and restoration efforts for these vulnerable habitats. The outreach activities for the project will create awareness of the value of museum collections in solving environmental change problems.The project will digitize ~158,500 specimens – where the live-dead status of specimens is already known – with enhanced data (e.g., georeferences, updated taxonomy, specimen-level trait data) and mobilize them via online data aggregators, such as iDigBio.org. The primary benefits of these activities to the ESB TCN include: 1) increasing the amount of reliable live-dead collected trait data available, 2) increasing the representation of early life stages of mollusk species, particularly for economically and ecologically important oysters, 3) increasing the representation of estuarine molluscan taxa, and 4) helping to fill a geographic gap in the ESB TCN dataset. Imaging of 27 ESB type specimens will also support the ESB TCN’s goal of linking verified specimen records to photographs of type specimens, helping to increase public access to reliable species information. Beyond the scientific value of the live-dead data that the PRI will contribute to the ESB TCN, this project will build on the PRI’s strong history in developing open access, online introductory-level textbook materials about paleontology and the fossil record. Specific outreach activities include: 1) developing a new page about the importance of live-dead molluscan studies to the existing Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life (DEAL) chapter on conservation paleobiology and 2) creating a short (3-5 minute) video with closed captioning about the importance of live-dead molluscan studies as a conservation tool that will be shared on PRI’s YouTube channel and embedded in the DEAL page itself.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.