The University of Connecticut’s “Biodiversity Bonanza” showcased the impressiveness and importance of natural history collections on Thursday, April 17.
The event was a collaboration between UConn’s Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) and the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH). It featured the EEB Biodiversity Research Collection and the collection from the CSMNH.
The event was divided into three parts, beginning with tours of the collection from 2-3 p.m. in the Biology/Physics Building. At 3:30 p.m., a lecture titled, “Natural History Collections for 21st Century Research” was held by Doug and Pam Soltis in the Biology/Physics Building.
Doug and Pam Soltis are both distinguished professors from Florida State University who specialize in plant biology. They tied in their own work with herbariums, collections of preserved plant life, to supplement their lecture.
Doug Soltis’ animated half of the presentation focused on the benefits of digitizing natural history collections for scientists. He said making specimens available digitally makes research more accessible and organized, regardless of your location.
Doug Soltis also talked about using digitized information about species in an area from collections along with environmental data, like weather and soil conditions. This allows researchers to understand the niche the species occupies and predict species trends based on environmental factors. The practice is helpful for conservation purposes.
When it comes to determining what species or locations to protect, Doug Soltis explained that it is possible to map how many different species exist within an area. The species richness and diversity, along with how related the existing species are, can help researchers determine the highest priority places for conservation.
Pam Soltis’ half of the lecture focused on other ways collections help researchers. She explained different projects that can help address food security around the world.
Pam Soltis also highlighted how artificial intelligence can streamline work for scientists. She said AI can extract plant traits from digital collections and see their reproductive capability. It can also analyze how certain specimens reacted to seasonal weather conditions or were impacted by insects.
The presentation ended with Pam Soltis talking about the challenges faced by natural history collections, including issues like personnel shortage, lack of cyberstructure to handle digitized information and insufficient funding.
Lulu Heublein, an eighth-semester molecular and cell biology student, enjoyed the lecture.
“They made it easy to digest to everyone, and not just scientists,” Heublein said.
After the lecture, a reception was held in the Gant Science Complex Light Court until 6:30 p.m. It featured displays of specimens contained in the Department of EEB’s Biodiversity Research Collection and from the CSMNH. Posters showing collection information and research projects from UConn students and faculty were also on exhibit.
The specimen displays featured organisms of all shapes and sizes. Skulls of a giraffe and hippopotamus were beside a platypus skeleton near one of the entrances. Taxidermized birds of prey, including a bald eagle, held a commanding presence, as if ready to cry out and take flight. Some tables featured live plants and moss, while others were fossilized. Smaller cases containing colorful insects were also spread throughout the area.
Heublein said her favorite part of the reception was interacting with the experts manning the tables.
“I love speaking to the people and seeing their history with the project rather than just the object itself,” Heublein said.
Jimmy Bernot, an assistant EEB professor, manned a table with sea sponges, coral and oyster shells. His research involves collection work with copepod, which he said were small aquatic crustaceans. His favorite part of collection work is seeing the diversity and different time periods in one place.
“You might have specimens from Japan and Madagascar and China and Australia all in one place, so to actually be able to see that as one person, you’d have to spend tons of money,” Bernot said. “You can come to a place like this and see all of that in just a short space, and you can also look back in time.”