Abstract Detail

Tools, Standards, Techniques, and Methods for Using Herbarium Specimens in Phenological Research

Sweeney, Patrick [1], Gilbert, Edward [2], Yost, Jenn [3].

A workflow for scoring phenology from digitized herbarium specimens.

Herbarium specimens and associated label data are valuable sources of phenological data. They can provide information about the phenological state of the specimen and information about how phenology varies in space and time. In an effort to leverage this tremendous phenological resource, the New England Vascular Plants project (NEVP) has worked over the past few years to create a data set catered to the study of the effects of climate change in New England. This project has focused on capturing images, specimen occurrence data, and reproductive phenological condition from New England specimens housed in 17 herbaria in northeastern North America. To achieve these goals, the NEVP project adopted multiple approaches to capture reproductive phenological data. Here we report on a novel workflow that utilized the Symbiota software platform. In this approach, flowering and fruiting state was scored from images of flowering plant specimens or derived from pre-existing occurrence records. To help standardize the scoring process, a controlled vocabulary was developed with input from the botanical community. This vocabulary prioritized simplicity of use and broad applicability. This presentation will give an overview of the Symbiota-based workflow, describing the digitization products, controlled vocabulary, scoring process, and method for sharing the scorings with data users. We also discuss the challenges involved in utilizing uncontrolled phenology data in pre-existing occurrence records.

1 - Yale Pebody Museum Of Natural History, Division of Botany, 170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
2 - Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
3 - California Polytechnic State University, Biological Sciences, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93407, USA

Keywords:
digitization
workflow
phenology
New England
Thematic Collections Network.

Presentation Type: Symposium Presentation
Session: SY3, Tools, Standards, Techniques, and Methods for Using Herbarium Specimens in Phenological Research
Location: 103/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
Time: 8:15 AM
Number: SY3002
Abstract ID:578
Candidate for Awards:None