scholarly journals Living plant collections policy of the Finnish Museum of Natural History

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko-Tapio Hyvärinen ◽  
Mikael Lindholm ◽  
Heli Fitzgerald ◽  
Mari Miranto ◽  
Aino Anttila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Living Plant ◽  
Genomic Resources ◽  
Plant Collections

The collections policy of the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus is hierarchically structured. The general collections policy defines the overall principles and guidelines. The sub-collections policies, such as the Living collections policy, comply with and apply the general collections policy and specify its guidelines and instructions, taking the special nature of the sub-collections into account. The living plant collections policy guides the care of the collections in the botanic gardens and the seed bank, excluding DNA and tissue samples which are covered by a separate genomic resources policy. The purpose of the collections policy is to help guide the care of the garden collections and the processing of information relating to the collections, thereby providing the basis for developing the botanic gardens.

scholarly journals Characteristics of an Exemplary Living Collection

2007 ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
Galen Gates
Keyword(s):  
Public Access ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Science And Society ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Living Plant ◽  
Plant Exploration ◽  
Plant Collections ◽  
Plant Collection ◽  
High Diversity

The purpose of this study was to analyse the characteristics that define a plant collection. In 2002 Chicago Botanic Garden benchmarked the living plant collections in national and international botanic gardens and arboreta in seven countries. The result of the study revealed that there were twelve characteristics of an exemplary living collection. These were: I. Institutional Collections Policy and Development PlansII. High diversity (breadth in taxa and germplasm)III. Depth or areas of specialization (plant-related areas)IV. Thorough record-keepingV. Care – maintenance practicesVI. An active Verification ProgrammeVII. Plants of wild origin with cultivated plants from their introducerVIII. Taxa of conservation concernIX. Staff expertise (knowledge acquired from the building and study of the Collection)X. Public access (to view and study plants and benefit from associated Programming)XI. Plant Exploration ProgrammesXII. Relevance to science and society for multiple generations

scholarly journals Luomus’ Genomic Resources Collection Available as Open Data Through FinBIF

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunilla Ståhls-Mäkelä ◽  
Anniina Kuusijärvi ◽  
Ville-Matti Riihikoski ◽  
Leif Schulman ◽  
Aino Juslén
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Voucher Specimen ◽  
Nagoya Protocol ◽  
Genomic Resources ◽  
The University

There is an increasing demand for high-quality genetic samples for biodiversity research as the techniques are rapidly developing and the costs are decreasing. The Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus, an independent research institute within the University of Helsinki holding and developing the national natural history collections, has joined the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN; http://www.ggbn.org/ggbn_portal/) and established a Genomic Resources Collection (GRC) in 2018. In March 2019, the Luomus GRC comprised 2500 DNA extractions and 4000 vertebrate tissue samples amassed in approximately the last 10 years. The DNA extractions are mainly of lichens, polypores, beetles, flies, molluscs and crustaceans of worldwide origin, reflecting the focal organism groups of research groups in Luomus. The deep-frozen tissue samples are mostly of Finnish birds and mammals, as accessions of vertebrate specimens acquired to Luomus’ collections are sampled. High-quality whole-genome DNA extracts will also be prepared. We expect the GRC to increase rapidly in numbers of samples within the coming years. Furthermore, the collection will also serve the many active research groups in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences of the University of Helsinki. The GRC collection follows the best practices of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) concerning long-term storage and physical quality of samples, and international agreements (the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, CITES) as regards the legitimacy of the samples. The GRC samples are always cross-linked with the taxonomically identified and georeferenced voucher specimen from which it is separated. Each GRC sample gets a Unique Resource Identifier HTTP-URI, which is a derivative of the unique specimen ID used in Luomus’ Collection Management System (CMS) ‘Kotka’. The sample tubes are cryolabelled with the QR code on the lid of the tube. The voucher specimens are deposited in Luomus’ collections or in another international public repository. The data on the GRC samples form part of the Open Data distributed through the Finnish Biodiversity Information Facility FinBIF species.fi (Data policy: https://laji.fi/en/about/960), and will be made searchable at the web portal in 2019. The specific database functions to meet the needs of Luomus’ GRC are developed by Luomus’ Biodiversity Informatics Unit and implemented in Kotka. We have already implemented part of the database tools to manage the compliance with the Nagoya protocol. The tool for registering material transactions (donations / loans) makes use of the Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the Access and Benefit Sharing Clearing House (ABS-CH) and includes links to the ABS-CH webpage (https://absch.cbd.int/). The ABS-CH shows the contact person or organization details of the provider country, and the country-specific requirements for access to genetic resources, when present. The necessary information and documentation (letter of Prior Informed Consent, Mutually Agreed Terms, Material Transaction Agreement, and other permits) are linked from the material transactions to the relevant specimens.

scholarly journals The Genomic Resources Collection Policy of the Finnish Museum of Natural History

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunilla Ståhls ◽  
Alexandre Aleixo ◽  
Marko-Tapio Hyvärinen ◽  
Anniina Kuusijärvi ◽  
Leena Myllys ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Animal Tissue ◽  
Collection Management ◽  
Collections Management ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Genomic Resources ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Genome Level ◽  
Research And Education

The Genomic Resources Collection is a separate, independently managed part of the natural history collections of the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus specifically intended for consumptive research. The GRC policy deals with the materials that are archived for the very purpose of enabling the study of biological diversity at the genome level, DNA extractions of animal, fungal and plant specimens, and animal tissue samples stored deep-frozen for purposes of future DNA extraction. The GRC policy defines the purpose of the collections, the objectives and content of the procedures and activities related to them, the distribution of responsibilities for collection management and maintenance in Luomus, and the principles of collection accumulation, preservation and accessibility. The aim of the GRC is to store and loan genomic samples for research purposes. In taxonomic coverage the collection overlaps with all the taxonomically delimited specimen collections managed by the Zoology and Botany Units, but is distinguished as being directed to preserve the genomic (DNA) information irrespective of the phenotypic variation that are the focus of specimen collections. The GRC includes both Finnish and foreign samples, all legally and ethically obtained, mostly linked to a specimen voucher in the taxonomic collections. The GRC samples are documented and trackable in Luomus collections management system. In accordance with the Universities Act, the GRC belongs to the national natural science collections of Luomus. For their part, the GRC collection implement the mission of Luomus, which is to be “responsible for the preservation, accumulation and exhibition of the national natural history collections and for research and education relating to them”.

Data Capture Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

2009 ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Natacha Frachon ◽  
Martin Gardner ◽  
David Rae
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Royal Botanic Garden ◽  
Data Capture ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The World ◽  
Plant Collections ◽  
Field Notes

Botanic gardens, with their large holdings of living plants collected from around the world, are important guardians of plant biodiversity, but acquiring and curating these genetic resources is enormously expensive. For these reasons it is crucial that botanic gardens document and curate their collections in order to gain the greatest benefit from the plants in their care. Great priority is given to making detailed field notes and the process of documentation is often continued during the plants formative years when being propagated. However, for the large majority of plants this process often stops once the material is planted in its final garden location. The Data Capture Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is an attempt to document specific aspects of the plant collections so that the information captured can be of use to the research community even after the plants have died.

scholarly journals Looking Back for the Future: Utilizing Sawfish Saws from Natural History Collections to Conserve the Critically Endangered Largetooth Sawfish (Pristis pristis)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25806
Author(s):  
Annmarie Fearing ◽  
Kelcee Smith ◽  
Tonya Wiley ◽  
Jeff Whitty ◽  
Kevin Feldheim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Genetic Bottleneck ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
The Past ◽  
Natural History Collections

The Critically Endangered (International Union for Conservation of Nature) largetooth sawfish, Pristispristis, was historically distributed in the tropical Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Today, ‘viable’ populations are largely limited to northern Australia. Populations that have suffered from drastic declines in abundance, such as those experienced by P.pristis, are typically at risk of having reduced, or low, levels of genetic diversity. Previous research found that P.pristis in Australia have experienced a genetic bottleneck, but it is unclear whether this bottleneck is the result of contemporary declines over the last century, or if it is the result of historic processes. A direct way to assess whether this genetic bottleneck occurred relatively recently is to compare levels of genetic diversity in contemporary and historic populations. Sawfish saws that were taken as trophies over the past century can now be found in natural history collections around the world and can provide DNA from past sawfish populations. We collected tissue samples from 150 dried P.pristis saws found in both private and public natural history collections. Because DNA from natural history specimens tends to be highly degraded, we targeted ten small DNA fragments, ~150 base pairs each, to amplify and sequence the entire mitochondrial control region. These data will provide important baseline information about P.pristis that can be used to quantify any loss of genetic diversity over the past ~100 years and assess their long-term survival potential. If the levels of genetic diversity in contemporary populations are severely reduced from those of past populations, protecting remaining genetic diversity within and between viable populations should be a priority in conservation plans.

Natural History Wet Collections: Observations on PH Readings from the Use of Different Ethanol and Label Types

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
Ximo Mengual ◽  
France Gimnich ◽  
Hannah Petersen ◽  
Jonas J. Astrin
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Fluid Preservation ◽  
Over Time

Abstract We examined the effects of different types of specimen labels and tags on pH of different concentrations of ethanol typically used for fluid preservation in natural history collections. Labels were immersed in three different concentrations of ethanol, 96% pure undenatured ethanol (EtOH), 96% EtOH denatured with methyl-ethyl ketone (MEK), and 99.8% pure undenatured EtOH, with or without the presence of insect specimens, and the solutions were evaluated after 26 months for changes over time in pH reading. In general, pH readings of all label trials with 96% and 99.8% ethanol increased over time, except for trials of denatured alcohol, which demonstrated lower pH readings in almost all treatments, regardless of label type. Samples that contained labels with ordinary, nonstandardized, not explicitly acid-free printing paper had higher pH readings compared after the trial. Our observations are a good starting point for further experiments to answer research questions related to chemical interactions with labels in ethanol-preserved specimens, including tissue samples for molecular analyses, which can guide collection staff in their daily work.

Exotica and Europe

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-109
Author(s):  
Karen Polinger Foster
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
New World ◽  
Living Plant

This chapter focuses on exotica in Europe. Many of the botanical and zoological aspects of Versailles were supported by increasingly rigorous scientific studies being carried out in Paris. Since the early 1500s, France’s botanists had sought a permanent facility where living plant specimens could be studied. Indeed, the French were eager to establish a counterpart to the successful research gardens organized in Padua and Pisa. The Jardin du Roi in Paris was meant to make the capital, and by extension France, the world’s pre-eminent center for natural history. Elsewhere in Europe, it was the major banking houses and trading companies that brokered shipments of exotica along with spices, textiles, and other goods. In Italy, wealthy banker and merchant families vied to obtain the latest New World and tropical wonders for their private gardens. The Dutch went further, cannily marketing the entire globe as a rich, alluring repository of exotica, whose possession by nonroyal persons would confer pure delight, free of the burdens of statecraft. From transit pens at the ports of Antwerp and Amsterdam, exotica were sent on to both private and royal customers.

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