| NSF Org: |
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 18, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 18, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1206115 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Reed Beaman
rsbeaman@nsf.gov (703)292-7163 DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $104,745.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $104,745.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE SEATTLE WA US 98195-1016 (206)543-4043 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
WA US 98195-3010 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Digitization |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
The Macrofungi Collection Consortium: Unlocking a Biodiversity Resource for Understanding Biotic Interactions, Nutrient Cycling and Human Affairs
Mushrooms and related fungi (macrofungi) play a critical role in the lives of plants and animals, including humans, yet their diversity is underestimated. Understanding this diversity will be critical in analyzing impacts of habitat change, nutrient cycling in ecosystems, and distributions and diversity of host organisms. Scientists in the U.S. have been studying these fungi for the past 150 years, resulting in a legacy of approximately 1.4 million dried scientific specimens conserved in 35 institutions in 24 states. These institutions have now joined in an effort to digitize and share online all data associated with macrofungi specimens. The resulting resource will enable a national census of macrofungi, never before attempted, and will allow researchers to better understand the diversity of these organisms and the relationship between macrofungi and the organisms with which they form intimate relationships.
Organized into clubs across the country, citizen mycologists play an important role in documenting macrofungi diversity, and these enthusiastic individuals are the conduit between professional scientists and the general public for critical information about wild edible and poisonous fungi. Citizen mycologists will join the collections institutions in this project to help to create the on-line resource. The project will fund two workshops for high school teachers to promote classroom study of fungi. University students employed by the project will gain work experience in digitization and formal training about fungi. Students will share the knowledge they gain through oral and video presentations. This award is made as part of the National Resource for Digitization of Biological Collections through the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program and all data resulting from this award will be available through the national resource (iDigBio.org).
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Through this award the University of Washington Herbarium at the Burke Museum digitized (databased, imaged, and georeferenced) over 70,000 macrofungi specimens held within the collections. Undergraduate students at the University of Washington participated in the digitization efforts. The specimen records have been made freely available to the public online at the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (www.pnwherbaria.org) and the Mycology Collections data Portal (http://mycoportal.org/portal/index.php).
Digitization of these collections has resulted in an increase in macrofungal specimen loans requested of the Herbarium by researchers, and these requests have come from throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Through the digitization and online presentation of macrofungi specimens we have created public access to publicly supported collections. This is a significant step forward from a prior system in which the public had to physically visit the collections in order to study the specimens in any way.
The staff hired to execute the work of this project developed a range of technical skills including relational database operation and management, digital photography, digital image management, and familiarity with geocoordinate systems. Staff also gained experience in natural history collections management.
The data generated from this project is suitable and freely available for researchers and amateur enthusiasts to develop modern applications that facilitate studies into the diversity, distribution, and identification of macrofungi in North America, as well as to explore how macrofungi interact with other biotic and abiotic ecosystem elements.
Last Modified: 10/27/2016
Modified by: Joseph F Ammirati
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