A virtual reference herbarium for the ubiquitous lichen genus Cladonia

地衣是我们生态系统的重要组成部分，并作为指示生物，经常用于监测生境的生态状况。然而，关于其分布的知识仍然很少，因为它们相当不显眼，难以识别。鉴定未知物种经常需要与参考材料进行比较，即使是专家。我们建议在这里生成一个数字参考标本馆的一个无处不在的和常见的地衣组，以帮助专家和公民科学家在分类群的识别。石蕊属是这样一个项目的一个完美的起点。它的物种是世界性的殖民者的土壤，植物碎屑和木材，并高度保护的关注。此外，它们是最常被非专家收集的地衣。它们的鉴定是困难的，因为大多数物种是极其可变的，种间差异是微妙的。从法国路德维希·斯克里巴（Ludwig Scriba，1847-1933）的Cladonia收藏开始，我们希望创建一个数字参考标本馆，反映该属的全部变异性，以支持更广泛的科学界对Cladonia进行可靠的鉴定。在一种新的方法中，包括z-堆叠和x-y平铺的高分辨率显微图像，我们希望重新分类。8.000个完整的凭证标本，使用户能够在线研究即使是大型植物标本馆标本的清晰图像。关于化学特征的额外信息将使专家能够在线修改凭单。所有图像将通过Senckenberg的收集数据库SeSam永久提供，并可通过几个国际门户网站访问。

Lichens are important components of our ecosystems and, as indicator organisms, are regularly used for monitoring the ecological status of habitats. However, knowledge on their distribution is still sparse, because they are rather inconspicuous and difficult to identify. The identification of unknown species regularly requires comparison with reference material, even for specialists. We suggest here to generate a digital reference herbarium for a ubiquitous and common group of lichens to aid specialists and citizen scientists in the identification of taxa.The genus Cladonia is a perfect starting point for such a project. Its species are cosmopolitan colonizers of soil, plant detritus and wood, and of high conservation concern. In addition, they are the lichens most frequently collected by non-experts. Their identification is difficult, because most species are extremely variable and interspecific differences are subtle. Starting with the unique Cladonia collection of Ludwig Scriba (1847-1933) in FR, rich in types and exsiccatae, we want to create a digital reference herbarium reflecting the full variability of the genus to support the wider scientific community in the reliable identification of Cladonia.In a new approach involving z-stacking and x-y tiling of high-resolution microscopic images we want to digitize ca. 8.000 whole voucher specimens allowing users to study consistently sharp images even of large herbarium specimens online. Additional information on chemical characters will allow specialists to revise vouchers online. All images will be permanently available through Senckenberg’s collection data base SeSam and accessible through several international web portals.