CSBR: Emergency Rescue of the Orphaned Fish Collection of the University of Puerto Rico and Capacity Expansion of the Ichthyology Collection at the Sam Noble Museum

Biological collections are a primary source of information to understand Earth’s biodiversity. They not only document existing diversity, but also provide the baseline to track changes across time and geography, as well as extinctions at local and global scales. This project aims to rescue the orphaned Fish Collection of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (UPR-M), improve access to specimens and associated information, and expand the shelving capacity of the Ichthyology Collection at the Sam Noble Museum (SNOMNH).

Integration and accessibility of the two fish collections have the potential to be used across multiple scientific disciplines, including ecology, conservation biology, taxonomy, phylogenetics, fisheries management, anatomy, and physiology. The proposed activities for this proposal are organized around three primary goals—rescue, integration, and long-term preservation—each associated with specific timelines to achieve the overarching proposal goals.

The team combines expertise of graduate and undergraduate students, and volunteers with museum experience at different levels in Oklahoma and Puerto Rico to provide a rich context for workshops, and for the development of an integrative training program for the next generation of scientists.

Natural history collections play a fundamental role as repositories of biodiversity and provide verifiable and permanent records of wildlife and past environmental conditions. This project will rescue and safeguard the UPR-M Ichthyology Collection, one the largest biorepositories of marine fish biodiversity in the Caribbean, encompassing historical data from 13,000 specimens, comprising 805 species, 392 genera, and 123 families in imminent danger to become lost.

Integration of the UPR-M Ichthyology collection into the SNOMNH will greatly increase its accessibility to scientists and other users through improved physical access, specimen loans, digitization of the collection, and sharing of data via the museum website, and other network portals. This project will enhance the infrastructure of the SNOMNH Ichthyology Collection and increase its scientific value and accessibility for scientists, educators, and the general public.

The SNOMNH Ichthyology Collection is an important scientific resource and biological legacy for the lower Great Plains representing about 20% of the total fish diversity of the United States. It hosts diverse assemblages of mostly freshwater fishes (although its scope has recently expanded to include marine fish species as well), and endemic regional fish fauna from streams and reservoirs in Oklahoma.

This project will provide multiple opportunities for integrating research into learning and education activities. Students at UPR-M and OU will participate in the collections-based activities as part of their academic and practical experiences and summer workshops at Puerto Rico.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.