Infrastructure and Curation of Jornada Basin LTER-Related Collections
of Vascular Plants and Arthropods

Supplemental Request, May 1998

The Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research program has long been focused on the causes and consequences of desertification in the semi-desert grasslands of southwestern North America. Desertification has altered the distribution and relative abundances of organisms in the region, as well as the function of ecosystems, and the patterns and consequences of these changes in the biota are also of direct interest to us. Several core activities and major long-term experiments involve monitoring and repeated sampling of plant and animal communities in both grassland and shrubland environments:

- a network of 15 sites (3 each of 5 different ecosystem types) scattered across the Jornada Basin, where vascular plant biomass and production are measured (by species) three times per year, where perennial plant reproductive phenology is monitored monthly, and where arthropods and herptiles are monitored with pitfall traps twice per year;

- a cross-site experiment involving comparison of arthropod faunas and their response to climate, involving the Jornada LTER, the Sevilleta LTER, and Bandelier National Monument (northern New Mexico);

- a long-term investigation of the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem function, centered on an experimental area where plant species and functional type diversity have been manipulated in large, relatively well-replicated plots.

In any long-term monitoring or experimental effort, it is of course critical that the identification of organisms be consistent and accurate. During the time that the network of 15 sites has been sampled for plant composition and productivity (since spring 1989), new species continue to be reported on these sites and there have been numerous changes in accepted taxonomy for important groups (particularly the grasses). Hence we are increasingly reliant on voucher and reference collections to ensure consistency in reporting and understanding the composition of the biota on our sites.

We collaborate with the NMSU Herbarium and the NMSU-Biology Arthropod Collection in maintaining these reference collections and in ensuring the availability of specimens and associated information. The requests outlined below describe specific enhancements to the maintenance, upgrade, and curation of these collections that will ensure their continued value to the local LTER program and, in addition, make them more accessible and valuable resources for cross-site and regional work.

The NMSU Herbarium was founded in 1890 with the activities of one of the first four faculty, Prof. E. O. Wooton, of the newly established New Mexico College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts. Wooton’s specimens formed the basis for the first Flora of New Mexico; at his departure the herbarium contained about 30,000 specimens. Growth languished after that date, with sporadic additions up to the early 1960's bringing the total count to about 39,000 specimens. Beginning in 1968 growth of the Herbarium was focused upon the flora of New Mexico, the Chihuahuan Desert, the northern Sierra Madre Occidental, and regions of strong floristic affinity, accepting only specimens of good quality. Total specimen count is now about 67,000.

In summer 1994 through a supplemental LTER grant, a 486DX computer with internal taped backup was purchased and data-basing of specimens was initiated. Later, with Biology Department funds, a ZIP drive for backup was purchased. Databasing has occurred as time allows (currently 9100 entries in the data-base). NMSU has used a commercial program, Paradox 7, but is now converting to File Maker Pro, a Web-ready data-base (in coordination with UNM). Our intent is to make the data-base available eventually over the Web. All specimens moving into or out of the Herbarium for any reason are data-based. Special requests (about 30 to date) have been data-based as well (e.g., Astragalus for Flora North America, cacti for a Spanish researcher, requests for locality data by ecology and evolution students, Mexican oaks for Spellenberg's research).

We propose two main efforts here: the support of the Jornada LTER plant voucher and reference collections, and the data-basing (collection and dissemination of information) of plant specimens relevant to cross-site LTER research.

Support of voucher and reference collections: A Jornada LTER voucher collection is maintained to document all species encountered on LTER study sites. It is continually added to whenever good specimens present themselves. Additionally, an LTER plant seedling/rosette collection is maintained, where juvenile and vegetative specimens are mounted on herbarium paper, placed into 3-ring inserts, and used for field and herbarium reference when attempting to identify unknowns. While these collections are kept within the LTER program office, to facilitate use by field researchers and visitors, duplicates of new specimens are given to the NMSU Herbarium. Eventually, when the seedling/rosette field books are more complete, much of the voucher collection can be physically moved to the Herbarium as well. We request funds for herbarium paper, cabinets, and some student hourly wages to support the enhancement of these growing collections and their storage, both in the LTER office and within the NMSU Herbariu m.

Data-base of plant specimens relevant to Jornada and cross-site research. Knowledge of plant distributions and identities is crucial to the pursuit of effective cross-site research on vegetation and plant community dynamics. We propose to facilitate the data-basing of plant families ecologically important on several sites relevant to the Jornada Basin LTER: the Short-Grass Steppe LTER site (Colorado), the Sevilleta LTER site (New Mexico), the Jornada itself, the Rancho La Campana Experimental Range Research Station (Chihuahua), and the Bolson de Mapimí / Desert Research Laboratory of the Instituto de Ecología (Chihuahua/ Durango/Coahuila). Jornada researchers are actively involved with collaborations at all of these sites. The effort described here would enhance the availability of data for species important on five sites forming a north-south transect of semi-arid grassland and shrubland ecosystems.

The following families are our priorities for this effort: Poaceae (grasses), Fabaceae (legumes), Asteraceae (sunflowers), Chenopodiaceae (saltbushes), Amaranthaceae (pigweeds), complete the Cactaceae (80% done now), Zygophyllaceae (creosote-bush), Rhamnaceae (sumacs), and Polygonaceae (buckwheats). Information from the specimen labels will be entered into the data base for all individual specimens of all species of these families (most specimens in the NMSU Herbarium are of western US and Mexico origin). At the NMSU Herbarium this amounts to approximately 30,000 specimens. Label information entered into the data-base includes: accession number, herbaria of deposition, family, genus, species, infraspecies, authors of epithets, nomenclatural history of specimen, collector, date, locality, habitat as described by collector, other notes made by collector, phenology (of specimen), and elevation and latitude/longitude if given. We will also incorporate specimen and label information from the LTER vouc her collection into the Herbarium database. The data-base, then, would become a resource valuable not only to the Jornada Basin LTER but to researchers at the other cooperating sites. To do so we request funds for: upgraded computer equipment for data entry, backup, and database searches; additional mounting materials (herbarium paper and genus covers); and student hourly wages for data entry and specimen processing.

The Jornada LTER program focuses on the processes and implications of desertification. It relies strongly on characterizing arthropod taxa as indicators of environmental change and it is therefore building extensive reference collections for Chihuahuan Desert scrub and grassland. We propose to integrate the LTER voucher/ reference collection into the arthropod collection of the Department of Biology and to initiate data-basing of the entire collection. By doing so, we will ensure the security and availability of the reference collection for future ecological researchers.

The NMSU Arthropod Collection is particularly strong in the Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera; it experienced a major period of growth during the 1960's, 70's, and 80's when Jim Zimmerman was curator. During recent years, in part because of space limitations, attention focused on maintaining the collection rather than adding to it. However, last year the collection was moved from NMSU’s Foster Hall to a larger, more accessible suite of rooms in the Biology Annex, occupying ca. 1,000 square feet. This move has brought with it the space necessary to add new specimens to the collection and the LTER reference collection would be a welcome and important addition.

LTER arthropod collections derive from pitfall sampling at each of the 15 sites described above and from other targeted LTER study areas. Samples are sorted and data recorded in coordination with the arthropod sampling program at the Sevilleta LTER, ensuring consistency of taxonomy and approach between the two sites. Over time a carefully documented reference collection has been accumulated; to date, though, this collection has not been integrated in any way with the NMSU-Biology Arthropod Collection. Such integration would provide much-needed continuity of maintenance and the provision of active curation. Here we request funds to support the physical curation of specimens both at the site of sorting (Sevilleta) and at NMSU, and to incorporate data on LTER specimens into a data-base of NMSU’s Arthropod Collection.

We request funds for a specimen cabinet to be used in the sorting and temporary storage of JRN samples at the Sevilleta. We also request funds for a second cabinet, to house the JRN reference collection within the NMSU Arthropod Collection. We will initiate the data-basing of the Arthropod Collection by accessioning the LTER reference collection. We plan to use File Maker Pro, as adopted by the Herbarium at NMSU and by UNM’s museums. After the LTER reference collection is data-based we will begin to add systematically the rest of the collection, focusing initially on the groups most important to the LTER (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and spiders).

For the plant collections: 1700 hours of hourly student wages, $7.50 per hour, $12,750 total. This would cover 40 hours per week for a person in the summer months and two undergraduates during the academic year. With experience students can extract and data-base approximately 20 specimens per hour from the existing Herbarium collection. We estimate that the 30,000 specimens of the LTER-relevant families could be completely data-based in this effort.

For the arthropod collection: two undergraduates, 50 weeks, 15 hours per week, $7.50 per hour, $11,250 total. At 15 specimens per hour, we estimate the data-basing of 22,500 specimens (roughly one-third of the collection) in a year’s time.

For the plant collections: We propose to purchase one double door, 52 shelf sealing herbarium cabinet (with recessed handles for future compactorization), at about $1800, and another, single door, 26 shelf sealing herbarium cabinet with recessed handles at about $1100. These will replace old double door 36 shelf cabinets that have no sealing

- they are not insect proof. In turn, at least one of the old cabinets will be moved to the LTER program office to furnish additional space for the reference and voucher collections. We request $800 for herbarium supplies, to be used both in the Herbarium itself and in the mounting of LTER voucher and identification specimens. These materials include: genus covers or folders, @ $42 per 100 (adding new covers, replacing old acid-bearing covers); and mounting sheets/herbarium paper, @19/100 sheets (mounting of new LTER specimens, continuing accession of backlogged Herbarium specimens).

For the arthropod collection: We are requesting $3000 for arthropod specimen cabinets (museum-quality 12-drawer cabinets, with drawers, are $980 each), one cabinet to be located at the Sevilleta for the temporary storage and processing of Jornada samples and two cabinets to be added to the NMSU-Biology Arthropod Collection to house the LTER Reference Collection. We are also requesting 600 unit trays (at $1 each), to be used in the two locations, and $1400 for consumable supplies (insect pins, storage vials, vial racks, alcohol).

For the Herbarium: We will replace the current 486DX computer with a GPG-300 or equivalent Pentium computer with ethernet card ($2400). Even with the current rather small size of the data-base, manipulation is slow, and the computer is not capable of handling the FileMaker software and data-base capabilities. We will replace the current ZIP drive (insufficient storage capacity for the enlarged data-base) with a Jazz drive backup system or equivalent ($350). We will also purchase an uninterruptable power supply ($250); the Biology Annex suffers from somewhat unreliable electrical power, particularly in our summer convectional storms.

For the Arthropod Collection: We request funds for the purchase of one GPG-300 or equivalent Pentium class computer with ethernet card ($2400). Currently, there is no computer in the Arthropod Collection, and all computers under the control of the curator (Dr. Dan Howard of NMSU’s Department of Biology) are heavily used in his ecological and evolutionary genetics laboratory. To serve as an effective data-base workstation, we will also purchase one Jazz drive back-up or equivalent ($350) and one non-interruptible power supply ($250).