Allan Herbarium and associated databases Provide background herbarium databases I am objective leader for Allan Herbarium and Database Part of the biosystmatic of New Zealand plants programme led by Ilse Breitwieser Ilse Breitwieser and Aaron Wilton LANDCARE RESEARCH http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biodiversity/plantsprog/

Allan Herbarium Over 550 000 plant specimens Ancillary collections Purpose – record NZ flora Document morphological variation and geographic distribution Voucher scientific research Important for the study of DNA, palynology, ultrastructure etc. Provide record of NZ’s cultural and natural history Management and curation of collection and databases are inseparable from systematic research The Allan Herbarium's function is to collect and record the flora of New Zealand make this information readily available to researchers, and regional and national authorities. Herbarium founded in Wellington in 1928 now located in Lincoln and contains over 550 000 plant specimens – largest herbarium in NZ. Specimens are from around the world, but most from New Zealand and South Pacific Add 5-8 thousand new specimens per year Also number of associated/ancillary collection including pollen slide collections, seed collection, wood collection Specimens are important resource Basis for our understanding of the pattern of variation in nature repository of scientifc vouchers so that identify of material used in scientific study or list for a site can be confirmed at later time Provide material for scientific study Provide a record of plants of NZ The foreign specimens assist with identification of border intercepts and new naturalisations Over last few years started an active programme improving curation standards and procedures Important lesson been reinforced = Management of the collection inseparable from the systematic research, and both collection management and systematics research are supported by the associated databases

Herbarium - future Collect and record the flora of New Zealand, and make this information available Maintain an active research herbarium that is fully curated technically and scientifically Provide herbarium services to international standard Conitue to act as repository to record NZ Flora And make this information available to users Continue to be active research herbarium, and improve manangement of the collection Services Such as loans, exchange with other herbaria, vouchering scientific studies

Databases Allan Herbarium Specimen Database Plant Names Database c. 120 000 records Records data from specimens Plant Names Database Scientific names of New Zealand plants Seed plants, ferns, mosses, lichens, liverworts and freshwater algae over 30 000 records Others include: Loans, Cabinets, Type Photograph, Molecular sequence databases Number of databases associated with the herbarium Pass over a number of smaller ones but these are still significant e.g., development of loans database, and implementation of barcoding reduce loan handling times by over 500% Two main databases Specimen database Contains approx 120 thousand (or 20% of collection) Records information from specimens Adding c. 6000 records per year In last few years been continuously improving standard of database Implementing a clear set of standards and procedures Improving data quality In conjunction with Database integration project Moved from legacy system enabling us to start testing new modules that better fit requirements of users improving improve data structure – e.g., now able to record the data as it was provided by the collector Improving access to the data Link to plant names database Plant Names Database Contains names of all plants wild in New Zealand and large proportion of cultivated plants This includes seed plant mosses, lichens, liverworts – and ferns (in collaboration with Te Papa) and freshwater algae (in collaboration with UoC) Records scientific names and synonymy Maori and vernacular names biostatus information (indigenous, present-absent) bibliographic data New database created from a number of sources previously maintained at the Herbarium Development of the database has been important part of the Database Integration Programme – Jerry Cooper say more about later Is a key database for integrating the databases in the Herbarium Continue to add more data – as new papers published, new naturalisations, filling in information Has been available on web since 2000

http://nzflora.landcareresearch.co.nz Recently developed new website that combines Plant Names Database with Sepcimen database Provides access to some of collection information, distribution maps, and images

Database - future Database collection fully Improve data quality and tools for scientific research and collection management Participate in national and international initiatives (e.g., GBIF, Australian Virtual Herbarium, N.Z. National Herbarium Network) Develop EBiota to deliver information to endusers Database collection As mentioned only 20% of main collection is fully databased -> database this to help manage the collection -> make data available to researchers and biodiversity managers Continue to improve depth and data quality in databases And improve tools for users to access this information. Important -> continue to develop tools that allow use to efficiently curate the collection Accessible We are already taking steps to improve accesibility of our data, but still work to be done In particular work with Database Integration is improving interoperatibility within Landcare Research, Key to enabling us to participate in initiaves Ebiota A new initiative we would like = system calling “Ebiota” allows researcher to capture and manage their data provides tools to make this data available to end users The key is that system will be flexible – provide up-to-date information to the user in the format and form the Build on work already doing through database integgration, as well as another project – Biodiveristy Informatics that using XML technologies to develop a dataset repository

Issues Lack of funding HSNO and Biosecurity Acts Declining FTEs Gaps in systematic expertise Backlog HSNO and Biosecurity Acts Funding fund remainder static -> in real terms means a gradual decline in FTE’s WE ARE CURRENTLY SUPPLEMENTING THE RUNNING OF THE HERBARIUM FROM PLANT BIOSYSTEMATIC RESEARCH may have to close herbarium and/or stop provide some herbarium services this will impact on all herbarium users -> including researcher, regional authorities, biodiversity managers Gaps Even if maintain current FTE’s – still gaps in sysematic expertise For collection and databases -> unable to scientificially curate fully Not enough funding to fully Backlog Have a backlog of specimens to accession - algal, pacific island 80% of the main collection HSNO & Biosecurity importation of material for scientific study more difficult in last few years Having to investigate options for becoming containment facility BUT this will increase cost of managing the herbarium Aware more general Valuable resource in the collection Reduction in duplication of effort Run into issues around interagency data agreement