Abstract Detail

Colloquia: SERNEC: Four years of development of a herbarium Research Coordination Network

Wallace, Lisa Ellen [1], Alford, Mac [2], Baghai-Riding, Nina [3], Brooks, Christopher P. [1], Bryson, Charles T. [4], Ervin, Gary N. [1], Hartfield, Elizabeth S. [5], Mccook, Lucile [6], Rohnke, Angel [5], Sullivan, Heather [5], Yager, Lisa Y. [5].

Magnolia grandiFLORA: Efforts to develop a digital herbarium of collections in Mississippi.

Because Mississippi lies at the intersection of three different floristic provinces, it possesses a rich assemblage of species with higher diversity than many other larger states. Mississippi is also a first point of introduction of exotics due to large agricultural areas, ports, and warm climate. More than 400,000 plant specimens are housed in eight major herbaria in the state. Many of these collections have become more visible to researchers through recent efforts to develop databases of label data, including the Deep South Plant Imaging Project and Collection and Computerization of the Pullen Herbarium. To extend these efforts to all herbaria we recently developed project Magnolia grandiFLORA, named in honor of the official state tree and flower of Mississippi and to highlight the comprehensive and collaborative spirit of the project. The goals of this project are to digitize and georeference specimens, develop a publicly accessible database of images and labels integrating all herbaria in Mississippi, and develop individual herbarium webpages. This integrated database will aid in completing a checklist, develop an atlas of Mississippi plants and identify areas of poorly documented plant diversity, all critical first steps in completing a comprehensive flora. These data will also be shared with regional portals (e.g., SERNEC) and with national efforts (e.g., USVH and NBII) to promote the use and value of herbaria. Access to images and/or collection data for specimens in the eight Mississippi herbaria will provide users with rapid access to critical information on species identification, locations and natural history. Working with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, we will also use the rich botanical information from these collections to produce educational materials for students, highlighting plant diversity in the Southeast through fact sheets and identification cards and expanding education modules for teachers and students through Project WET and Project WILD developed by the Museum of Natural Science.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Mississippi State University, Biological Sciences, P.O. Box GY, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA
2 - University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Biological Sciences, 118 College Drive #5018, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, U.S.A.
3 - Delta State University, Division of Biological & Physical Sciences, Cleveland, Mississippi, 38733, USA
4 - U.S. Dept. Agriculture-Ag. Research Service (USDA-ARS), Southern Weed Science Research Unit, P.O. Box 350, 141 Experiment Station Road, Stoneville, Mississippi, 38776, USA
5 - Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson, MS, 39202, USA
6 - University of Mississippi, Department of Biology, Pullen Herbarium, P.O. Box 1848, University, Mississippi, 38677, USA

Keywords:
Mississippi
herbarium
SERNEC.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: C3
Location: Ballroom C/Convention Center
Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Time: 3:45 PM
Number: C3011
Abstract ID:306