Integrative research Integrative research using digitized using digitized

specimens: examples specimens: examples from the Consortium from the Consortium

of California of California Herbaria Herbaria

Brent MishlerBrent MishlerUniversity and Jepson University and Jepson

HerbariaHerbaria

University of California, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyLucinda McDadeLucinda McDade

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Rancho Santa Ana Botanic GardenGarden

and Claremont Graduate and Claremont Graduate UniversityUniversity

California: Global-scale floristic hot spot

• Isolated, young Mediterranean climate

• Pockets of stable, equable climate (refugia)

• Substrate diversity (e.g., serpentine)

• Topographic and climatic diversity

Source: Precious Heritage (2000) © TNC, NatureServe

New (and final?)print edition of The Jepson Manual(just out, 2012)

• All taxa are monophyletic, as far as is known

• Treats smallest known clades - "cryptic diversity"

• Treats 5253 native species

•Treats 6500 native minimum-rank taxa (species, subspecies, and varieties) of which 35% are endemic

Jepson Online Interchange

Consortium of California HerbariaOver 1,550,000 specimens searchable through a common interface:

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/consortium/

started 2003, via funding fromCalifornia Digital Library, UC system-wide

California Academy of SciencesCalifornia Department of Food and AgricultureCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, San BernardinoHumboldt State UniversityPacific Grove Museum of Natural HistoryRancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG & Pomona College)Riverside County MuseumSan Diego Natural History MuseumSan Diego State UniversitySan Jose State UniversitySanta Barbara Botanic GardenUC Berkeley (Jepson Herbarium & University Herbarium)UC DavisUC IrvineUC RiversideUC Santa BarbaraUC Santa CruzYosemite Museum (of Yosemite National Park)

Consortium of California Herbaria

Consortium georeferencing progress -- 834,000 specimens georeferenced so far(June, 2012)

typical search return page

BerkeleyMapper application based on Google Maps

The many uses of collections databases:• Important practical applications, taking advantage of temporal aspects of collection data:

– Climate change modeling

– Spatial ecology / mapping historical habitats and landscapes

– Tracking the introduction of pathogens and invasive species

– Phenology estimates through time

• Floristics:

– Identification of under-collected areas (targeted exploration) and other collection biases (e.g., timing taxon emphasis)

– Production of floras, identification tools

• Systematics:

– Discovery of previously undescribed taxa in the collections

– Raw material for anatomical and DNA studies

• Ecology and evolution:

– Reconstructing assembly of communities

– Biogeography, diversification studies

– Assessing biodiversity using new phylogenetic approaches

Herbarium data used to project the effects of climate change

Climate Change and the Future of California's Endemic Flora. Scott Loarie, Benjamin E. Carter, Katharine Hayhoe, Sean McMahon, Richard Moe, Charles A. Knight, and David D. Ackerly. PLoS ONE (2008)

Historical ecology study of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

The San Francisco Estuary Institute/Aquatic Science Center, in collaboration with the Department of Fish and Game

• Specimen data are being used to help develop a clear understanding of what the Delta looked like and how it functioned ecologically and hydrogeomorphically prior to significant Euro-American modification.

Cal IPC Weed mapper projectCalWeedMapper enables natural resource managers, scientists, and others to create maps and reports of invasive plant distribution, identify management opportunities in a county, WMA or region and update species

observation data.

New application of specimen dataCharting the month of peak collection

Specimens grouped by month of collection. Blue line indicates flowering time from the second edition of The Jepson Manual