| NSF Org: |
DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 7, 2023 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 12, 2024 |
| Award Number: | 2240482 |
| 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: | September 1, 2023 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2025 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $61,519.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $61,519.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3530 PAPALINA RD KALAHEO HI US 96741-9599 (808)332-7324 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3530 PAPALINA RD KALAHEO HI US 96741-9599 |
| 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): | Capacity: Bio Collections |
| 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
This award will establish a Partnership to Existing Network (PEN), which will join the Building a global consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens: keystones of cryptobiotic communities Thematic Collection Network (TCN). Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and lichens represent a frontier of biodiversity with great opportunities for new species discovery and exploring the role and function of these organisms in ecosystems. Relative to vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens have been significantly understudied. This is particularly true in Hawai?i and on the islands of the tropical Pacific. A first step to understanding this biodiversity is cataloging the specimens already collected in museums and herbaria. This award will allow the three largest herbaria in Hawai?i, the Bishop Museum, National Tropical Botanical Garden, and the University of Hawaii??s Joseph Rock herbarium, to collaborate with 25 universities, museums, and gardens across the United States. Known as the GLOBAL Bryophyte & Lichen Thematic Collection Network, these institutions are imaging specimens and digitizing data to enable future research using bryophyte and lichen collections. The project will also provide opportunities for the public to learn about an often-overlooked part of our ecosystem.
The study of bryophytes and lichens holds excellent potential for species discovery and for uncovering novel ecosystem processes. In 2020, the NSF funded a Thematic Collection Network (TCN): Building a global consortium of Bryophytes and Lichens: keystones of cryptobiotic communities. The network includes 25 US herbaria and supports collaborative efforts to digitize 1.2 million bryophyte and lichen specimens from US institutions. The TCN focuses on collections from outside North America. The collections from the three largest herbaria in Hawai?i (Bishop Museum, National Tropical Botanical Garden, and the University of Hawai?i) will significantly augment the digitized collections from Hawai?i, the tropical Pacific, and Asia. This project will contribute at least 70,000 imaged, databased, georeferenced, and accessible data records to the global research community, from ca. 58,000 bryophyte and ca. 12,000 lichen specimens, and immediately support research to revise the checklists of Hawaiian bryophytes and lichens. The Hawaii institutions will also conduct bryophyte and lichen identification workshops for natural resource managers, researchers, and University of Hawaii students. The work will also contribute to the development of field guides and conservation assessments for Hawaiian species. Digitized data will be available to the public through iDigBio.org and the Plants of Hawaii website.
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.
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