Antarctic ecosystems are at increased risk from anthropogenic drivers of global change such as climate warming, pollution, and commercial exploitation, all of which threaten biodiversity and/or introduce invasive species, further homogenizing and perturbing biodiversity and the health of ecosystems. How Antarctic marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species will fare in coming years is difficult to predict, but increasing access to specimens from Antarctica will provide the means to accelerate progress in understanding Antarctic ecosystems.
Currently, Antarctic specimen collections are housed across the US in museums, yet these collections are not easily discoverable on the internet, and how well they represent the biodiversity of Antarctica is largely unknown. A large number of frozen and preserved specimens are scattered across university laboratories and often lack the ancillary data that would make them useful and accessible to a broader scientific community. As climate change continues to erode the biodiversity of Antarctica, it becomes imperative to assess the current state of Antarctic collections and identify gaps in collections before the opportunity to preserve a record of Antarctic biodiversity is lost.
This proposed workshop will bring together marine, freshwater, and terrestrial biologists who study a broad range of taxa in Antarctica, along with curators with expertise in collections and specimen and data management. The goals of the workshop are:
Assess the current state of Antarctic collections
Evaluate strategies for maximizing visibility and accessibility of specimens
Determine how a biological repository (or multiple biorepositories) would fill gaps in collections to expand opportunities for Antarctic research and maximize resources
In preparation for the workshop, we are assessing the current state of Antarctic collections in the U.S., including both personal and museum collections. To do so, we need your help. Please complete this survey by November 22, 2021 to provide us with information about your collection and thoughts on the need for an Antarctic biological repository. The survey includes questions about the number and type of specimens in your collection and how they are stored and cataloged. Completing the survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes.