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Santos BS, Marques MP, Ceríaco LMP. Lack of country-wide systematic herpetology collections in Portugal jeopardizes future research and conservation. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2024; 96:e20230622. [PMID: 38451598 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202420230622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural History Collections (NHCs) represent the world's largest repositories of long-term biodiversity datasets. Specimen collection and voucher deposition has been the backbone of NHCs since their inception, but recent decades have seen a drastic decline in rates of growth via active collecting. Amphibians and reptiles are amongst the most threatened zoological groups on the planet and are historically underrepresented in most worldwide NHCs. As part of an ongoing project to review the Portuguese zoological collections in the country's NHCs, herpetological data from its three major museums and smaller collections was gathered and used to examine the coverage and representation of the different taxa extant in Portugal. These collections are not taxonomically, geographically, or temporally complete. Approximately 90% of the Portuguese herpetological taxa are represented in the country's NHCs, and around half of the taxa are represented by less than 50 specimens. Geographically, the collections cover less than 30% of the country's territory and almost all of the occurring taxa have less than 10% of their known distribution represented in the collections. A discussion on the implications for science of such incomplete collections and a review of the current status of Portuguese NHCs is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna S Santos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Rua do Campo Alegre 1021, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Mariana P Marques
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Rua do Campo Alegre 1021, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, U.S.A
| | - Luis M P Ceríaco
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, U.S.A
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Quinta da Boavista, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia (Museu Bocage), Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269-102 Lisboa, Portugal
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Green TA, Hutchings PA, Scarff FR, Tweedley JR, Calver MC. Research publications of Australia's natural history museums, 1981-2020: Enduring relevance in a changing world. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287659. [PMID: 37352318 PMCID: PMC10289469 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
As a case study of the responses of natural history museums to changing scientific and funding environments, we analysed research publications of Australia's Natural History Museums (ANHMs) 1981-2020. Using Scopus, 9,923 relevant documents 1981-2020 were identified, mainly research papers but with a growing proportion of reviews. The number of documents published increased over tenfold from 39 (1981) to 553 (2020), likely driven by collaborations (rising from 28.5% of documents 1981-1985 to 87.2% of documents 2016-2020), contributions from retired staff, and volunteer support. The mean length of documents (pages) ranged from a low of 15.3 in 2001-2005 to a high of 17.4 in 1991-1995, but this statistically significant result was trivial in practical terms. The sources (i.e., journals, book titles, conference proceedings) in which ANHM authors published changed over time, with growing proportions of publications in journals covering molecular ecology/phylogenetics and biological conservation. We identified the major areas of study canvassed within the corpus of publications by developing structural topic models based on patterns of word use in document titles, abstracts and keyword lists. The topics discovered included study subjects traditional for natural history museums (new taxa, phylogeny, systematics, animal morphology, palaeontology, minerals), new directions (molecular genetics, ecology, biological conservation) and marine biology (probably reflecting Australia's large coastline). Most citations came from Australia, USA and UK, although in 2016-2020 only 27.9% of citing documents included an Australian author. Growth in numbers of documents and collaborations, as well as use of documents internationally over a period of great change in scientific and funding environments, indicate an enduring legacy of ANHM research, grounded on the intrinsic value of the collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayla A. Green
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Pat A. Hutchings
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia
| | - Fiona R. Scarff
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - James R. Tweedley
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Michael C. Calver
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
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Jung TS, Pretzlaw TD. Relative efficiency of two models of snap traps for sampling boreal small mammals. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S. Jung
- Department of Environment, Government of Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 2C6, Canada; Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - Troy D. Pretzlaw
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences McGill University Montreal, Quebec Canada
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Krásová J, Mikula O, Bryja J, Baptista NL, António T, Aghová T, Šumbera R. Biogeography of Angolan rodents: The first glimpse based on phylogenetic evidence. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jarmila Krásová
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Mikula
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Ninda L. Baptista
- Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (ISCED‐Huíla) Lubango Angola
- CIBIO‐InBIO Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos GenéticosUniversidade do Porto Vairão Portugal
- Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Telmo António
- Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (ISCED‐Huíla) Lubango Angola
| | - Tatiana Aghová
- Centre of OncocytogenomicsInstitute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory DiagnosticsGeneral University Hospital and First Faculty of MedicineCharles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
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Dunnum JL, Cook JA. Editor’s Choice. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan L Dunnum
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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Krásová J, Mikula O, Šumbera R, Horáková S, Robovský J, Kostin DS, Martynov AA, Lavrenchenko LA, Bryja J. The Rufous Sengi is not
Elephantulus
—Multilocus reconstruction of evolutionary history of sengis from the subfamily Macroscelidinae. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jarmila Krásová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Mikula
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Sylvie Horáková
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Jan Robovský
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Danila S. Kostin
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow Russia
| | - Aleksey A. Martynov
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow Russia
| | - Leonid A. Lavrenchenko
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow Russia
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
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Konečný A, Hutterer R, Meheretu Y, Bryja J. Two new species of Crocidura (Mammalia: Soricidae) from Ethiopia and updates on the Ethiopian shrew fauna. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Konečný
- Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail:
| | - Rainer Hutterer
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany; e-mail:
| | - Yonas Meheretu
- Department of Biology and Institute of Mountain Research & Development, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia; e-mail:
| | - Josef Bryja
- Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail:
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Mizerovská D, Mikula O, Meheretu Y, Bartáková V, Bryjová A, Kostin DS, Šumbera R, Lavrenchenko LA, Bryja J. Integrative taxonomic revision of the Ethiopian endemic rodent genus Stenocephalemys (Muridae: Murinae: Praomyini) with the description of two new species. JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.25225/jvb.20031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Mizerovská
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: , , , ,
| | - Ondřej Mikula
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: , , , ,
| | - Yonas Meheretu
- Department of Biology and Institute of Mountain Research and Development, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia; e-mail:
| | - Veronika Bartáková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: , , , ,
| | - Anna Bryjová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: , , , ,
| | - Danila S. Kostin
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; e-mail: ,
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; e-mail:
| | - Leonid A. Lavrenchenko
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; e-mail: ,
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: , , , ,
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