NSF Org:	DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure
Recipient:	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE
Initial Amendment Date:	June 11, 2018
Latest Amendment Date:	June 11, 2018
Award Number:	1802163
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:	August 1, 2018
End Date:	July 31, 2023 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$316,789.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$316,789.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2018 = $316,789.00
History of Investigator:	Brent Mishler (Principal Investigator) bmishler@berkeley.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	University of California-Berkeley 1608 4TH ST STE 201 BERKELEY CA  US  94710-1749 (510)643-3891
Sponsor Congressional District:	12
Primary Place of Performance:	University of California-Berkeley University and Jepson Herbaria CA  US  94720-2465
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	12
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	GS3YEVSS12N6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Digitization
Primary Program Source:	01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	6895
Program Element Code(s):	689500
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.074

ABSTRACT

Flowering time is an important biological phenomenon, affecting human societies through its effects on agricultural crops, pollinators, pests, and biodiversity. Given the sensitivity of flowering times to climatic conditions, a thorough understanding of how plants respond to changing environments is necessary for predicting the consequences for pollinators, herbivores, parasites, and plant populations. A record of historical flowering times is found within the nation's herbaria. This award establishes a thematic collection network (TCN) dedicated to understanding flowering time shifts in the California flora. California has the most diverse native flora of any state in the U.S., containing more than one-third of all U.S. plant species. The state is a biodiversity hotspot due to the high number of endemic species that are also threatened. The Capturing California's Flowers (CCF) TCN will record flowering times from and create images of over 900,000 herbarium specimens from the oldest records, the most diverse families, and most threatened families in California. Twenty-two institutions spanning the state, including public universities, state agencies, museums, and botanic gardens, will participate in these efforts. This project will generate data that will increase our understanding of flowering time shifts - a critical need for agriculturalists, conservation biologists, plant taxonomists, land managers, and wildlife biologists.

Digitization of each specimen in the CCF TCN will result in a high-resolution image, a databased record of collection metadata, a georeferenced point, and the reproductive status of the specimen. New tools will be developed for the public to search and display phenological data through a Symbiota portal interface. The CCF TCN will develop novel data standards for capturing and sharing trait data from specimens. Building on already successful national and regional programs, the CCF TCN will partner with schools, universities, botanical clubs, and the general public to crowd source phenological measurements through online expeditions, workshops, new college courses, and K-12 educational programs. The CCF TCN will provide a historical record of plants currently being monitored through the National Phenology Network and other regional programs. Finally, this award will expand efforts to train the "next generation" of museum curators, collectors, and researchers. 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).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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.

The California Floristic Province is a well-known biodiversity hotspot and is under severe threats from land use changes, invasive plants, and climate change.  The overall goal of the California Phenology (CAP) project was to image, database, georeference, and score phenological traits on 904,200 Californian vascular plant herbarium specimens housed at 22 digitizing institutions.  The collaboration exceeded this goal: imaging 1.03 million specimens (114% of our goal), transcribing 359,000 specimens (120% of our goal), georeferencing 356,000 specimens (119% of our goal), and generating standardized phenological data for 1.64 million specimens (183% of our goal). Our public data portal, CCH2 (https://www.cch2.org/portal/index.php), now serves 4.76 million specimen records, 2.44 million of which are georeferenced, and 2.01 million of which are imaged.  We have had broad public participation across a variety of events across all five years of the project and have reached far beyond the state through our online presence via Twitter, YouTube, our project website, and publications.

Students working in the CAP project gained critical skills in reading historical documentation, interpreting maps, understanding botanical and geographical terms, managing and creating data, and using online mapping and data curation tools.  Students who participated in the phenology research courses additionally developed key research skills including creating a scientific question, cleaning and analyzing data, and presenting research results via a scientific poster.  Over 150 students conducted research projects in association with the CAP grant.

In particular, as collaborators on the CAP project, the University and Jepson Herbaria (UC Berkeley) and the UCSC herbarium established imaging stations, implemented appropriate protocols, and exceeded our specific goals.  Over the five years of the project, UCB imaged 107,690 specimens (111% of our goal).  UCSB imaged 12,014 specimens (172% of our goal) and transcribed 3,219 records (107% of our goal).

UCB also hosted the data manager for the whole CAP-TCN project.  The data manager worked closely with the other CAP leadership and facilitated all aspects of the data management for the project, including developing the Consortium of California Herbaria websites. 

This now globally-accessible information will facilitate research into and conservation of the vascular plant species characteristic of this unique Mediterranean-climate ecosystem, which is among the rarest climates in the world recognized as centers for high species diversity and endemism.

Last Modified: 08/03/2023
Modified by: Brent Mishler

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