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2022 Flora of the Southeastern United States

The Flora covers the biogeographic region of the moist, relictual, unglaciated southeastern North America: south of the glacial boundary and east of the “dry line” to the west that marks a marked floristic boundary to the Great Plains prairies to the...

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4/21/22
Integrative and Translational Uses of Herbarium Collections Across Time, Space, and Species

This Research Topic aims to synthesize and inspire the frontier of integrative and translational research using herbarium collections to highlight their unharvested potential for addressing outstanding research questions and societal challenges. The...

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9/17/20
Biodiversity Collections, Data, and COVID

Disease detection is one of many vital missions that biodiversity collections play, along with environmental assessment, online education, and detection of crop disease and potential bioterror
organisms, among many other uses. But the COVID-19...

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9/8/20
An algorithm competition for automatic species identification from herbarium specimens

Plant biodiversity is threatened, yet many species remain undescribed. It is estimated that >50% of undescribed species have already been collected and are awaiting discovery in herbaria. Robust automatic species identification algorithms using...

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7/6/20
An initial industrial flora: A framework for botanical research in cooperation with industry for biodiversity conservation

We partnered with various federal, state, and private interests to evaluate the floristic composition at the Garden City Terminal of the Port of Savannah, Georgia, USA. We conducted the following study to demonstrate the collaborative relationship-...

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4/9/20
Chilling consequences: Herbarium records reveal earlier reproductive phenology of winter annual gladecress in a wetter, cooler climate

Plant phenological responses to global warming are well studied. However, while many locations are experiencing increased temperatures, some locations are experiencing climate cooling. Little work has been conducted to understand plant phenological...

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1/29/20
The Global Museum: natural history collections and the future of evolutionary biology and public education

Natural history museums are unique spaces for interdisciplinary research and for educational
innovation. Through extensive exhibits and public programming and by hosting rich
communities of amateurs, students, and researchers at all...

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5/2/19
New and Noteworthy Epiphytic Ferns from the Urban Forests of Coastal Southern California, U.S.A.

Davallia solida (G. Forst.) Sw. (Davalliaceae), Phlebodium aureum (L.) J. Sm. (Polypodiaceae), Phlebodium pseudoaureum (Cav.) Lellinger (Polypodiaceae), and Rumohra adiantiformis (G. Forst.) Ching (Dryopteridaceae) are epiphytic ferns native to the...

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4/26/19
Enhancement of conservation knowledge through increased access to botanical information

Herbarium specimens are increasingly recognized as an important resource for conservation
science and virtual herbaria are making specimens freely available to a wider range of users than ever before. Few virtual herbaria are designed with...

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3/5/19
Simple but long-lasting: A specimen imaging method applicable for small- and medium-sized herbaria

Major international herbaria, natural history museums and universities have recently begun to digitise their collections to facilitate studies and improve access to collections. In Japan, more than 10 million herbarium specimens are housed in various...

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2/25/19
Online Herbaria Guide

This Online Herbaria Guide was assembled by the Plant Nomenclature & Taxonomy Community. It provides a list of herbaria for research purposes. 

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1/25/19
Using herbaria to study global environmental change

During the last centuries, humans have transformed global ecosystems. With their temporal
dimension,herbaria provide the otherwise scarce long-termdata crucial for trackingecological and
evolutionarychangesover thisperiodof intense global...

Resource
12/10/18
The history and impact of digitization and digital data mobilization on biodiversity research

The first two decades of the twenty-first century have seen a rapid rise in the mobilization of digital biodiversity data. This has thrust natural history museums into the forefront of biodiversity research, underscoring their central role in the...

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11/26/18
Introduction to Access and Benefit-Sharing

Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) refers to the way in which genetic resources
may be accessed, and how the benefits that result from their use are shared
between the people or countries using the resources (users) and the people or...

Resource
10/31/18
The Protection of Indigenous Peoples’ Seed Rights during Ethnobotanical Research 

Recognition of the importance of biodiversity for global food security and the community food sustainability movement has helped increase awareness of seed rights. International treaties created to ensure the world’s access to seed biodiversity address...

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7/23/18
Standards of Excellence in Plant Collections Management: Self-Assessment Tool

 A companion Self-Assessment Tool is now available to help you evaluate your organization’s current level of collections management. Use the results along with the...

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5/3/18
A Workflow to Preserve Genome-Quality Tissue Samples From Plants in Botanical Gardens and Arboreta

Internationally, gardens hold diverse living collections that can be preserved for genomic research. Workflows have been developed for genomic tissue sampling in other taxa (e.g., vertebrates), but are inadequate for plants. We outline a workflow for...

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12/19/17