Digitization TCN: Collaborative Research: Lepidoptera of North America Network: Documenting Diversity in the Largest Clade of Herbivores

数字化 TCN：合作研究：北美鳞翅目网络：记录最大食草动物分支的多样性

• 批准号: 1602081
• 负责人: Neil Cobb
• 金额: $ 67.72万
• 依托单位: Northern Arizona University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-07-01 至 2022-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1602081&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Digitization; TCN; Collaborative; Research; Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are one of the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet: worldwide there are approximately 160,000 species, including around 14,300 species in North America. Moths and butterflies are a conspicuous component of terrestrial habitats and one of the most diverse groups of plant-feeding animals worldwide. This group insect includes species of great economic importance. Their juveniles feed on plants useful to humans, including grains, cotton, tobacco, and timber and shade trees. However, many of the adults are beneficial as pollinators and are icons of conservation as evidenced by Monarch butterflies. Given their economic importance and sheer beauty, butterflies and moths are one of the most abundant insect group in museum collections, but only a fraction of the approximately 15 million specimens in non-federal collections have had their specimen label information digitally recorded and accessible to researchers and educators. Of those specimens that have been digitized, fewer than 10% of the North American Lepidoptera species have sufficient, accessible occurrence data to make reliable predictions about habitat use, susceptibility to global change impacts, or other ecologically important interactions. This project will digitize and integrate existing, unconnected collections of lepidopterans to leverage the outstanding potential of this group of organisms for transformative research, training and outreach. The Lepidoptera of North America Network (LepNet) comprises 26 research collections that will digitize approximately 2 million specimen records and integrate these with over 1 million existing records. LepNet will digitize 43,280 larval vial records with host plant data, making this the first significant digitization of larvae in North American collections. LepNet will produce ca. 82,000 high-quality images of exemplar species covering 60% of North American lepidopteran species. These images will enhance remote identifications and facilitate systematic, ecological, and global change research. In collaboration with Visipedia, LepNet will create LepSnap, a computer vision tool that can provide automated identifications to the species level. Museum volunteers and student researchers equipped with smartphones will image 132,000 additional research-quality images through LepSnap. Up to 5,000 lepidopteran species will be elevated to a "research ready" status suitable for complex, data-driven analyses. LepNet will build on the existing data portal (SCAN) in consolidating data on Lepidoptera to the evolution of lepidopteran herbivores in North America. Access to these data will be increased through integration with iDigBio. Data for a broad range of research, including the evolutionary ecology of Lepidoptera and their host plants in the context of global change processes affecting biogeographic distributions will be generated. The LepXPLOR! program will spearhead education and outreach efforts for 67 existing programs, engaging a diverse, nationwide workforce of 400+ students and 3,500+ volunteers. Overall, LepNet will generate a sustainable social-research network dedicated to the creation and maintenance of a digital collection of North American Lepidoptera specimens (http://www.lep-net.org/).

鳞翅目（蝴蝶和飞蛾）是地球上最多样化的生物组之一：全球大约有16万种，其中包括北美约14,300种。飞蛾和蝴蝶是陆生栖息地的明显组成部分，是全球最多样化的植物喂养动物之一。这个昆虫具有非常重要的物种。他们的少年以对人类有用的植物为食，包括谷物，棉花，烟草，木材和阴影。但是，许多成年人作为传粉媒介都是有益的，并且是君主蝴蝶所证明的保护图标。鉴于它们的经济重要性和纯粹的美丽，蝴蝶和飞蛾是博物馆收藏中最丰富的昆虫群之一，但在非联邦收藏中约有1500万个标本中，只有一小部分具有数字记录的标本标签，并且可以访问研究人员和教育工作者。在被数字化的标本中，不到10％的北美鳞翅目物种具有足够的，可访问的发生数据，可以对栖息地使用，对全球变化影响的易感性或其他重要的相互作用做出可靠的预测。该项目将数字化和整合鳞翅目现有的，未连接的收藏，以利用这组生物的杰出潜力进行变革性研究，培训和外展。北美网络（Lepnet）的鳞翅目（Lepidoptera）组成了26个研究收集，这些研究收藏将使大约200万个标本记录数字化，并将其与现有的100万多个记录集成在一起。 Lepnet将使用寄主植物数据数字化43,280个幼体小瓶记录，这使其成为北美收藏中幼虫的第一个重要数字化。 Lepnet将产生CA。 82,000种典型物种的高质量图像，占北美鳞翅目种类的60％。这些图像将增强远程标识并促进系统，生态和全球变化研究。与Visipedia合作，Lepnet将创建LepSNAP，这是一种计算机视觉工具，可以为物种水平提供自动标识。配备智能手机的博物馆志愿者和学生研究人员将通过LEPSNAP对132,000张其他研究质量图像进行成像。多达5,000种鳞翅目物种将升级为适合复杂的数据驱动分析的“研究准备”状态。 Lepnet将基于现有的数据门户（扫描），以将鳞翅目的数据巩固到北美鳞翅目草食动物的进化。通过与Idigbio的集成，将增加对这些数据的访问。将生成广泛研究的数据，包括在影响生物地理分布的全球变化过程中鳞翅目及其寄主植物的进化生态学。 Lepxplor！计划将为67个现有计划带头教育和推广工作，吸引有400多名学生和3500多名志愿者的全国各地劳动力。总体而言，Lepnet将产生一个可持续的社会研究网络，该网络致力于创建和维护北美鳞翅目标本的数字收藏（http://www.lep-net.org/）。