Retrieval, Compilation, and Exploratory Analyses of Voucher Specimens for Vertebrates and Vascular Plants in 14 Northeastern National Parks
O'Connell A and Gilbert A. Retrieval, Compilation, and Exploratory Analyses of Voucher Specimens for Vertebrates and Vascular Plants in 14 Northeastern National Parks. Northeast Temperate Network
Report giving stating the research found in 14 Northeastern parks found during the Voucher Specimen Project. As part of the National Park Service (NPS) effort to implement biological inventories and long-term monitoring of park resources, we searched natural history collections to determine the number of vertebrate (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles) and vascular plant voucher specimens originating within or near select national park unit boundaries throughout the northeastern United States. These records provided a measure of historical biodiversity for the region with respect to individual park units. We queried 274 collection managers curating 307 natural history collections and received a 70% response rate. Searches of collections placed specimens into one of four locality categories, ranging from within current park boundaries to a county within the state where the park was located. We evaluated park characteristics (e.g., age, size) to evaluate their effect on the number of specimens found. We assembled >30,000 specimen records including over 4,000(21%) determined to originate within current park boundaries.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- O'Connell, Allan; Gilbert, Andrew
- Units
- ACAD , ASIS , CACO , FIIS , GATE , MABI , MIMA , MORR , NCBN , NETN , ROVA , SAGA , SAHI , SAIR , SARA , WEFA
- Keywords
- analyses, compilation, Exploratory, retrieval, Voucher specimens