Transcript HerpNET Overview

HerpNET Overview and
Uses of HerpNET Data
Carol L. Spencer
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
What are HerpNET data?
The main purpose of HerpNET is to make museum
collections data available on-line for use in museum,
conservation and phylogenetic research and to
retrospectively assign coordinates to collection localities
using consistent and repeatable methods. HerpNET data
include more than 4 million specimen records that are
being georeferenced to over 750,000 unique collecting
localities.
Institutions in HerpNET
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54 total, 47 North American (NSF funded), 7 international
Nine funded by GBIF in red: AMS, BPBM, CIB, MHNG,
MVZ, RM, RMCA, SMNS, ZIN.
What data are available on the
HerpNET portal & website?
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Portal is available for
searching data at
http://herpnet.org/portal.html
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Currently 27 institutions
are available on portal
(BPBM, BYU, CAS,CUMV, FMNH, INHS, KU,
LACM, LSU, MCZ, MHP, MSU, MVZ, PSM,
ROM, SBNHM, SDNHM, TCWC,THNC, UAM,
UCM, UMBM, UNAM,UNSM, UTA, UTEP)
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Distributed database –
servers at each institution
~7 servers will be added to
the portal by late 2006,
with all 54 institutions
available online by Fall ‘07
Current state of georeferencing:
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Information communicated
through HerpNET Listserv
http://herpnet.org/communicati
on.html
Data available now on portal
are those that were
georeferenced previous to
HerpNET
Georeferencing by HerpNETNSF participants is finished
for 20% of all localities
All of North American localities and
all GBIF collections will be complete
by Sept. 2007
Data are sent back to collections for
integration into server databases
after verification
Completed Georeferencing for North
American Institutions: `20% of all unique localities completed
New Features for HerpNET (2007):
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Easy, “quick” search feature on the HerpNET portal
More access to HerpNET point data from AmphibiaWeb
including maps, through data-caching
Global Amphibian Assessment distribution maps (polygons
– created from expert opinion) shown with point data
Ability to search on synonymous taxonomy on both
HerpNET and AmphibiaWeb
What You Can Do With These
Data: Mapping point localities
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Make point distributions
of species by
documenting where
they are present
Background map, errors
around localities, labels
by museum or
specimen number can
be changed using the
interactive mapping
interface (Berkeley
Mapper)
Options for sending
annotated error
comments being
implemented.
Verification Functions:
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Verifying current
museum specimen
data
Identifying errors
due to
georeferencing,
specimen
identification, or
written locality
information
Verification Functions:
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Identifying gross
georeferencing errors or
specimens falling
outside the
administrative
boundaries (e.g.
counties in California)
Verifying current
museum specimen data
by mapping it on
climate data to
determine
environmental outliers
(using DIVA-GIS)
Predicting locations of possible new
species or speciation mechanisms:
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Predicting species
distributions and
ascertaining where new
species may be found
Madagascar
chameleons
(Nussbaum et al., 2003)
Dendrobatid frog
speciation mechanisms
(Graham et al., 2004)
Burmese Bufo species
showing areas of high
endemicity where new
field work should be
done (ground truthing)
Predicting Biodiversity Hotspots:
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Collecting by
CAS in Myanmar
predicts new areas
where high species
diversity for both
tropical highland
and xeric habitats
Predicting distributions
using past climates:
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Crotaphytus
bicinctores
collaris
vestigium
nebrius
antiquus
reticulatus
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Mapping distributions
onto past climates e.g.
Crotaphytus
distributions
Are distributions
parapatric because of
competitive exclusion or
due to past glacial
maxima causing
separate refugium?
Predicting distributions using past climates:
21,000 ybp
Current
C. collaris
C. bicinctores
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Hypothesis: Glacial maxima
should have strongly affected
the distributions of
Crotaphytus species, driving
northern populations extinct,
leaving southern refugia
(consistent with the genetic
data)
• Results from bioclimatic
modeling are consistent
with this hypothesis
C. reticulatus
How to do the mapping and
niche-modeling yourself:
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Download data from HerpNET portal
& add your own data
Use automated georeferencing tools
and follow standard methods
(GeoLocate, Biogeomancer,
HerpNET/MaNIS Guidelines)
Use Mapping Function on
HerpNET portal to view specimen
data that has already been
georeferenced
Use DIVA-GIS (free) for BIOCLIM &
Domain modeling
Links to other modeling programs
available at HerpNET GIS resources
web page e.g. MaxENT, GARP,
GRASP, R
Benefits of using museum data in research:
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Importance of voucher specimens for rechecking identifications
Identifying hybrid zones
Tissues plus voucher specimen used to
identify new species (e.g. 19 new species of
Batrachoseps since 1985)
Can access species changes over time
(genetics, morphology, diet, distributions,
disease vectors, pesticide residues,etc)
“At this point I wish to emphasize what I believe will
ultimately prove to be the greatest purpose of our
museum. This value will not, however, be realized until
the lapse of many years, possibly a century, assuming
that our material is safely preserved. And this is that the
student of the future will have access to the original
record of faunal conditions in California and the west,
where ever we now work.”
Joseph Grinnell, 1910
Founding Director, Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology, University of California, Berkeley
The value and quality of our data is improved by georeferencing and
making it more accessible.
Acknowledgments
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NSF and GBIF for funding
University of Kansas
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology,
University of California,
Berkeley
Michelle Koo for use of
Myanmar MaxEnt models
Jim McGuire for use of
Crotaphytus data & figures
Robert Hijmans for use of MVZ
verification figures
CAS, Cal Photos, Michelle Koo,
Joyce Gross, David Wake, Jim
McGuire, and Henk Wallacy for
photographs & maps.