New York Botanical Garden

PBI: A COMPLETE WEB-BASED MONOGRAPH OF THE TRIBE MICONIEAE (MELASTOMATACEAE)

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE: THE MACROFUNGI COLLECTION CONSORTIUM: UNLOCKING A BIODIVERSITY RESOURCE FOR UNDERSTANDING BIOTIC INTERACTIONS, NUTRI

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN (NYBG) WILL ENHANCE ITS ECOFLORA PROJECT AND WORK WITH FOUR OTHER BOTANICAL GARDENS TO IMPLEMENT THE MODEL IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE ECOFLORA PROJECT USES DIGITAL HERBARIUM AND LIBRARY COLLECTIONS AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY, COMBINED WITH CITIZEN SCIENTIST OBSERVATIONS, TO BUILD AN ELECTRONIC RESOURCE TO DOCUMENT AND MONITOR A CITY'S PLANTS WHILE ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN STUDYING BIODIVERSITY IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS, AND INFORMING LAND USE AND CONSERVATION DECISIONS. EACH PARTNER GARDEN WILL CREATE ITS OWN PROJECT PLATFORM AND RECRUIT CITIZEN SCIENTISTS. NYBG WILL EXPAND ITS ECOFLORA IN MORE NEIGHBORHOODS TO MAXIMIZE THE DIVERSITY OF CITIZEN SCIENTIST PARTICIPANTS, AND CREATE A TOOLKIT FOR LOCAL TEACHERS TO USE WITH STUDENTS. NYGB AND THE PARTNER GARDENS WILL SHARE PROJECT EXPERIENCES AT NATIONAL CONFERENCES AND CREATE ONLINE MATERIALS TO SERVE AS A GUIDELINE FOR OTHER GARDENS.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZING ENDLESS FORMS: FACILITATING RESEARCH ON IMPERILED PLANTS WITH EXTREME MORPHOLOGIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CLOSING THE GAP: THE HISTORY OF RIVER CONNECTIONS WITH THE FORMATION OF THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA AND ITS IMPACT ON THE EVOLUTION OF PLANTS IN RIVERS -ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE IN THE AMERICAS WAS WHEN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA BECAME CONNECTED BY A LAND BRIDGE?THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA?WHICH OCCURRED BETWEEN 15 MILLION YEARS AGO AND THE PRESENT DAY. THIS CONNECTION ALLOWED PLANTS AND ANIMALS TO MOVE BETWEEN THE TWO CONTINENTS. SCIENTISTS HAVE STUDIED LAND PLANTS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHEN THIS EVENT HAPPENED, BUT WE STILL DO NOT KNOW HOW RIVERS PLAYED A ROLE IN HOW THE LAND BRIDGE FORMED. THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY A SPECIAL GROUP OF PLANTS THAT LIVE IN TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL RIVERS RAPIDS AND WATERFALLS, CALLED RIVERWEEDS. USING INFORMATION FROM BOTH PLANT FOSSILS AND THE DNA OF LIVING PLANTS, WE WILL STUDY HOW THESE PLANTS MOVED AND EVOLVED AS THE LAND BRIDGE. COMBINING INFORMATION ABOUT PLANTS WITH GEOLOGIC DATA, WE HOPE TO UNDERSTAND WHEN RIVERS BEGAN TO CONNECT, AND HOW THESE CHANGES AFFECTED THE PLANTS LIVING IN THEM. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP SCIENCE GROW BY TRAINING AMERICAN SCIENTISTS TO WORK TOGETHER WITH SCIENTISTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO HELP TRAIN NEW PARTNERS, STRENGTHENING THE PATHWAYS FOR FUTURE AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL LENS ON BIOTIC MIGRATION DURING THE RISE OF THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA BY LEVERAGING THE TIGHT LINK BETWEEN PODOSTEMACEAE PLANTS AND RIVER EVOLUTION, ADDING A NEW ELEMENT TO THE STORY OF THE ISTHMUS CLOSURE, AND SHIFTING THE FOCUS FROM TERRESTRIAL TO UNEXPLORED FRESHWATER SYSTEMS. THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH IN PLANT EVOLUTION RESEARCH IS TO INTERPRET BIOLOGICAL DATA USING GEOLOGICAL MODELS. IN THIS PROJECT, HOWEVER, GENOMIC DATA WILL BE USED TO INFER THE TIMING AND PATTERN OF RIVERINE PLANT MIGRATION ACROSS THE ISTHMUS, WHICH WILL THEN BE COUPLED WITH GEOLOGICAL AND FOSSIL DATA TO BUILD A WHOLISTIC MODEL OF RIVER CONNECTIVITY ACROSS THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. THE PROJECT WILL USE A RECENTLY DEVELOPED METHOD FOR THE INTEGRATION OF DISTRIBUTIONAL AND GENOMIC DATA TO REFINE THE RESULTING MODELS OF PAST LANDSCAPE CHANGE. THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH WILL NOT ONLY CLARIFY THE TEMPO AND MODE OF RIVERINE CONNECTIVITY ACROSS THE ISTHMUS BUT WILL ALSO FILL CRITICAL GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF TROPICAL BIODIVERSITY ASSEMBLY IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS. THE PROJECT ALSO INCLUDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAINING FOR STUDENTS RANGING FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS. THIS PROJECT IS CO-FUNDED BY THE SYSTEMATICS & BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE AND LIFE THROUGH ENVIRONMENT AND TIME PROGRAMS. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FROM ACORUS TO ZINGIBER - ASSEMBLING THE PHYLOGENY OF THE MONOCOTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PLANT, FUNGAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY OF TAFEA PROVINCE, VANUATU

DIMENSIONS: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BIODIVERSITY GRADIENTS IN OBLIGATE SYMBIOTIC ORGANISMS: A CASE STUDY IN LICHENS IN A GLOBAL DIVERSITY HOTSPOT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES: SPORANGIA -NON-TECHNICAL PARAGRAPH: PLANT REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES COME IN MANY FORMS FROM FERTILE LEAVES TO CONES TO FLOWERS. THE ONE COMMONALITY AMONGST ALL OF THESE REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES IS THE SPORANGIUM WHERE THE GENETIC MATERIAL IS HALVED. THE TRANSITION TO SPORANGIUM INITIATION AND ITS SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PLANT GENETIC DIVERSITY, THE COMPLETION OF THE PLANT LIFE CYCLE, AND THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS. THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SPORANGIA ARE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF LAND PLANTS. ALTHOUGH THE MOLECULAR GENETICS OF SPORANGIUM DEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN WELL STUDIED IN FLOWERING PLANTS, THERE IS LITTLE COMPARATIVE DATA ACROSS LAND PLANTS. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE MOLECULAR GENETICS OF SPORANGIUM DEVELOPMENT IN THE MODEL FERN CERATOPTERIS. THIS RESEARCH WILL ALLOW US TO UNDERSTAND THE EVOLUTION OF SPORANGIA ACROSS PLANTS AND WILL FILL A GAP IN OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANT REPRODUCTION. FURTHERMORE, THIS KNOWLEDGE MAY PROVIDE NEW INSIGHT IN CROP IMPROVEMENT AS SEED AND FRUIT PRODUCTION IS A MAJOR ASPECT OF AGRICULTURE. THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WILL TRAIN PARTICIPANTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS. TECHNICAL PARAGRAPH: THE SPORANGIUM IS THE FUNDAMENTAL REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE COMMON TO ALL LAND PLANTS. THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SPORANGIA HAVE BEEN KEY TO THE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS AND DIVERSITY OF LAND PLANTS. THE EVOLUTION OF DISTINCT SPORANGIA EVOLVED THREE TIMES INDEPENDENTLY AND WAS A NECESSARY INNOVATION FOR THE EVOLUTION OF THE SEED. THE EVOLUTION OF SMALLER SPORANGIA WITH AN EFFECTIVE DEHISCENCE MECHANISM IS KEY TO THE REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF LEPTOSPORANGIATE FERNS, THE LARGEST GROUP OF FERNS. THEREFORE, ELUCIDATING A CORE SPORANGIA DEVELOPMENT NETWORK WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO NOT ONLY THE REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE COMMON TO ALL PLANTS BUT ALSO THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF STRUCTURES THAT ARE KEY TO AGRICULTURE. DESPITE ITS FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE, A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS OF THE REPRODUCTIVE TRANSITION AND CONCOMITANT SPORANGIA DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LAND PLANTS IS LACKING. THIS PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE UNIQUE ADVANTAGES OF THE MODEL FERN CERATOPTERIS WITH A COMBINATION OF ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TO ADDRESS THIS MAJOR KNOWLEDGE GAP. THIS PROJECT WILL USE A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH COMBINING ANALYSES OF CANDIDATE GENE EVOLUTION WITH PHYLOGENETIC, EXPRESSION, AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSES AS WELL AS DISCOVERING NEW GENES AND THE GENETIC NETWORK IN THE MODEL FERN CERATOPTERIS USING IN SITU TRANSCRIPTOMICS AND LCM RNASEQ. IN ADDITION, LIVING COLLECTIONS WILL BE LEVERAGED TO STUDY THE MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES ACROSS FERNS. THE COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER UNIQUE SKILL SETS FROM BOTANY AND DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS TO PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY. THIS PROJECT WILL FURTHER DEVELOP CERATOPTERIS AS A MODEL SPECIES FOR PLANT BIOLOGY STUDIES. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

LICHEN BIODIVERSITY IN THE THREATENED MIDDLE ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN OF NORTH AMERICA: IMPROVING CLASSIFICATION, CONSERVATION, AND COMMUNICATION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION TCN: THE MACROALGAL HERBARIUM CONSORTIUM: ACCESSING 150 YEARS OF SPECIMEN DATA TO UNDERSTAND CHANGES IN THE MARI

FLORISTIC INVENTORY OF A NEGLECTED BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT: MYANMAR'S NORTHERN FOREST COMPLEX

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BRINGING ASIA TO DIGITAL LIFE: MOBILIZING UNDERREPRESENTED ASIAN HERBARIUM COLLECTIONS IN THE US TO PROPEL BIODIVERSITY DISCOVERY

DIMENSIONS US-BIOTA-SAO PAULO: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY FRAMEWORK FOR BIODIVERSITY PREDICTION IN THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST HOTSPOT.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS OF THE NEOTROPICAL CLADE OF SCHEFFLERA (ARALIACEAE)

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PLANTS, HERBIVORES, AND PARASITOIDS: A MODEL SYSTEM FOR THE STUDY OF TRI-TROPHIC ASSOCIATIONS

ATOL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ASSEMBLING THE GREEN ALGAL TREE OF LIFE (GRATOL)

19-EXO19-0060 SURVIVING A MASS EXTINCTION: LESSONS FROM THE POST K-PG FERN SPIKE

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BUILDING A GLOBAL CONSORTIUM OF BRYOPHYTES AND LICHENS: KEYSTONES OF CRYPTOBIOTIC COMMUNITIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ARTS: TRAINING A NEW GENERATION OF SYSTEMATISTS AND COMPLETING THE MONOGRAPH OF PROTIUM (BURSERACEAE) A HYPERDIVERSE TROPICAL TREE CLADE -- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN EARMARK PROJECT DESCRIPTION THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) IS PROVIDING $499,998 IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN IN NEW YORK CITY FOR A PROJECT TITLED THE WELIKIA PROJECT. THE WORK WILL BE FOCUSED ON DESCRIBING THE HISTORICAL ECOLOGY OF NEW YORK CITY IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO EUROPEAN CONTACT AND SETTLEMENT IN A MANNER CONDUCIVE TO BETTER UNDERSTANDING COASTAL DEVELOPMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION; AND SHARING FINDINGS FROM THE WELIKIA PROJECT WITH THE NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC THROUGH BOOKS, PUBLIC LECTURES, MOBILE-ENABLED WEBSITES, AND AN EXHIBITION AT NYBG. SPECIFICALLY, THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL USE THE FUNDS TO ACHIEVE SEVERAL GOALS: 1) HELP THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND HOW THE LANDSCAPE OF NEW YORK CITY HAS CHANGED OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO ISSUES OF COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT AND FLOODING 2) GIVE THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK CITY AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES AND TOPOGRAPHY OF THIS REGION AND TO RELATE THAT UNDERSTANDING TO NOT ONLY THE CITYS PAST BUT THE CITYS FUTURE 3) INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN AND SUPPORT FOR HABITAT RESTORATION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE PROJECTS THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

MAPPING PLANT TRADE AS A DRIVER OF BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS -THE COMMERCIAL TRADE OF PLANT SPECIES HAS SHAPED LANDSCAPES AND SOCIETIES FOR CENTURIES, YET TRADE IS ALSO A MAJOR SOURCE OF PLANT INVASION. HOW DO WE BALANCE THE BENEFITS OF INTRODUCING PLANTS FOR HORTICULTURE, AGRICULTURE, AND MEDICINE, AGAINST THE COSTS OF INTRODUCING INVASIONS THAT CAUSE ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISRUPTION? TO ADDRESS THIS QUESTION, THIS RESEARCH EXAMINES HOW THE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF PLANT TRADE CONNECTS TO THE CONTEMPORARY DISTRIBUTION AND IMPACTS OF INVASIVE SPECIES. BY MAPPING THE LEGACY OF PAST PLANT INTRODUCTIONS, THIS RESEARCH REVEALS HOW LONG-STANDING PATTERNS OF HUMAN DECISION-MAKING CONTRIBUTE TO TODAY?S INVASIVE SPECIES CHALLENGES. RESULTS WILL OFFER TRANSLATIONAL SOLUTIONS FOR PUBLIC AND INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT BOTH BIODIVERSITY AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY, AS WELL AS RESOURCES TO HELP COMMUNITIES MAINTAIN THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF PLANT TRADE WHILE REDUCING ITS UNINTENDED ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS. THIS RESEARCH DRAWS ON A NOVEL DATASET SPANNING TWO CENTURIES AND OVER TWO MILLION RECORDS OF PLANT TRADE INTRODUCTIONS FROM GEOREFERENCED SEED AND NURSERY CATALOGS, WHICH CAPTURE THE INTRODUCTION HISTORY FOR NEARLY 20,000 PLANT SPECIES. BY MAPPING THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL FREQUENCY OF INTRODUCTIONS, THIS WORK IDENTIFIES THE PATTERNS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ? DRIVEN BY ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FACTORS ? THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO LEAD TO BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS. THESE DATA ALSO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS IN SPATIAL ECOLOGY: WHAT LIMITS A SPECIES FUNDAMENTAL VS. REALIZED NICHE? USING NICHE MODELS, NURSERY LOCATIONS CAN BE USED TO APPROXIMATE A SPECIES ?POTENTIAL NICHE?: ENVIRONMENTS WHERE, DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITY, PLANTS CAN GROW AND SURVIVE IN THE ABSENCE OF COMPETITION OR DISPERSAL LIMITATION. WHEN COMPARED TO LOCATIONS WHERE SPECIES INVADE, THE POTENTIAL NICHE REVEALS HOW SPECIES RESPOND TO NOVEL ENVIRONMENTS AND WHAT FACTORS LIMIT THEIR DISTRIBUTIONS OUTSIDE OF CULTIVATION. BY LINKING THE PAST TO THE PRESENT AND ASSESSING THE BENEFITS VERSUS IMPACTS OF PLANTS IN TRADE, THE STUDY AIMS TO TRANSLATE NEW KNOWLEDGE INTO MORE INFORMED DECISION-MAKING. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

DIGITIZATION OF CARIBBEAN PLANTS AND FUNGI IN THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN HERBARIUM

CSBR: NATURAL HISTORY: EXPANSION OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN HERBARIUM TO INCORPORATE NEWLY ACQUIRED SPECIMENS AND IMPROVE CURATION

CAREER: RESOLVING A PARADOX OF GLOBAL BOTANICAL BIODIVERSITY: WHY IS AFRICA THE ODD MAN OUT? -UNDERSTANDING HOW PLANT DIVERSITY HAS ARISEN OVER TIME, AND HOW AND WHY PLANTS ARE DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE PLANET AS THEY ARE, HAS BEEN A MAJOR GOAL OF BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE SINCE DARWIN'S TIME. A PARTICULARLY STRIKING FEATURE OF GLOBAL PLANT DISTRIBUTIONS IS THAT SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA HAS MANY FEWER PLANT SPECIES THAN COMPARABLE TROPICAL REGIONS IN ASIA AND THE AMERICAS, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE ODD MAN OUT BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERN. THIS RESEARCH WILL INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBLE CAUSES OF THE ODD MAN OUT PATTERN BY INVESTIGATING THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF FERNS. FERNS ARE AN ANCIENT PLANT GROUP THAT OCCUPY DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS GLOBALLY. CONSEQUENTLY, THEY ARE IDEAL MODELS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ROLES OF EXTINCTION, SPECIATION AND MIGRATION IN GENERATING THE MODERN-DAY FLORA OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT WILL BUILD RESEARCH CAPACITY AMONG EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS, INCLUDING POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS, GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AND STRENGTHEN BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE EDUCATION WITHIN DIVERSE K-12 AND COLLEGE CLASSROOMS. PROJECT PERSONNEL WILL DEVELOP A STUDY-ABROAD UNDERGRADUATE COURSE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, ENGAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS IN DEVELOPING K-12 LESSON PLANS, AND BUILD BOTH WEB-BASED AND HANDS-ON MODULES FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH ABOUT PLANTS AND BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE. RESEARCHERS WILL UNCOVER THE EVOLUTIONARY AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THREE FERN GENERA (DRYOPTERIS, CHEILANTHES, POLYSTICHUM) THAT ARE WIDESPREAD IN AFRICAN, ASIAN AND THE AMERICAN CONTINENTS TO INVESTIGATE THE GENESIS OF THE ODD MAN OUT BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERN. SPECIES WILL BE SAMPLED IN THE FIELD AND FROM HERBARIA; DNA SEQUENCE DATA FROM APPROXIMATELY 450 NUCLEAR MARKERS WILL BE USED TO GENERATE THEIR PHYLOGENIES. THE RESULTING PHYLOGENIES WILL BE USED TO RECONSTRUCT HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHIC MOVEMENTS OF OVER 1000 SPECIES, CALCULATE DIVERSIFICATION RATES, AND DETERMINE WHETHER SHIFTS IN ANCESTRAL ECOLOGICAL NICHE ENVELOPES CORRELATE WITH MIGRATION EVENTS OR CHANGES IN DIVERSIFICATION RATE. ANCESTRAL CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS AND TRAIT DATA FROM COMMON GARDEN EXPERIMENTS WILL BE CO-ANALYZED TO UNDERSTAND HOW CLIMATE MAY HAVE SHAPED TRAITS AND DIVERSIFICATION PATTERNS OVER TIME. THE PROJECT WILL GENERATE NEW DATA RESOURCES AND SPECIMENS FOR BROAD DISSEMINATION AND BUILD CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATIONS. THESE OUTCOMES WILL ADVANCE THE RESEARCH AS WELL AS FUEL FUTURE DISCOVERIES AT THE INTERSECTION OF FERN SYSTEMATICS, HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY AND BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

FRIDA KAHLO'S GARDEN: A HUMANITIES EXHIBITION ON KAHLO'S CONNECTION TO PLANTS AND NATURE

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISTS IN THE AMERICAN GARDEN: A GARDEN-WIDE HUMANITIES EXHIBITION ON AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM

COLLABORATIVE DIGITIZATION OF NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN HERBARIUM SPECIMENS FROM AMAZONIAN BRAZIL

COASTAL FOREST PLANT DIVERSITY IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

ROBERTO BURLE MARX: MODERN NATURE OF BRAZIL--A GARDEN-WIDE HUMANITIES EXHIBITION

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE: THE MICROFUNGI COLLECTIONS CONSORTIUM: A NETWORKED APPROACH TO DIGITIZING SMALL FUNGI WITH LARGE IMPACTS ON THE FUNC

CAPACITY: BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS: SECURING AND SHARING BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY COLLECTIONS AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN -PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANTS ARE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF ALL CULTURES, RANGING FROM CROPS AND MEDICINES, TO RELIGIOUS PRACTICES, AND THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. ONE WAY THAT CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANTS IS PRESERVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS IS THROUGH MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL ETHNOBOTANICAL RESEARCH WHICH OFTEN DEPENDS ON THE CREATION AND PRESERVATION OF HERBARIUM SPECIMENS. IN THIS PROJECT, THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL ENHANCE CURATION OF 11,000 SPECIMENS, PHYSICALLY AND DIGITALLY SECURING AND INCREASING ACCESS TO THEM, LINKING SPECIMEN DATA AND PUBLICATIONS TO OTHER OBJECTS THAT DOCUMENT BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE. THESE VALUABLE COLLECTIONS SERVE AS VOUCHERED PRIMARY DATA FOR BIOCULTURAL RESEARCH, AND SERVE AS BASELINE DATA FOR FUTURE COMPARISONS, AS THE SPECIES AND KNOWLEDGE THEY DOCUMENT ARE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF INTERCONNECTED SOCIETAL AND ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY IS A CONCEPT THAT EMPHASIZES THE MUTUAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BIODIVERSITY AND CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS, AND PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH BIODIVERSITY. AS GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTS AND HUMAN CULTURES BECOME EVER MORE CONNECTED AND HOMOGENIZED, BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY FACES THREATS, WITH SUCH KNOWLEDGE ULTIMATELY FACING EXTINCTION IF ACTION IS NOT TAKEN TO PRESERVE AND SHARE IT. THEREFORE, THE COLLECTIONS AND DATA THAT CAPTURE BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY ARE BECOMING EVER MORE IMPORTANT. THE DOCUMENTATION AND PRESERVATION OF BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY IS AN ESSENTIAL MEANS OF SAFEGUARDING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE TO SOLVE FUTURE ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES, SUPPORT RESILIENCE AND LOCAL LIVELIHOODS, AND HELP INDIGENOUS AND OTHER TRADITIONAL PEOPLES MAINTAIN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY. IN ADDITION TO SECURING THESE SPECIMENS AND THEIR ASSOICATED DATA, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP ESTABLISH GLOBAL STANDARDS THAT WILL BE WIDELY IMPLEMENTED ACROSS INSTITUTIONS THAT HOLD BIOCULTURAL COLLECTIONS, WHILE INTRODUCING STUDENTS, TYPICALLY FROM GROUPS UNDERREPRESENTED IN SCIENCE, TO DATA SCIENCE METHODS USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS), ETHNOBOTANY, AND CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT. THIS PROJECT WILL AUGMENT HOW THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN SHARES THESE CULTURAL RESOURCES AND THEIR DATA TO THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING AN EXPANDED SEARCH FEATURE FOR 23,000 VERNACULAR NAMES, AND INCREASED PUBLIC-ORIENTED DIGITAL CONTENT. SPECIMEN DATA RESULTING FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE SHARED AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL THROUGH IDIGBIO.ORG. 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.

FUNCTIONAL EVOLUTION OF THE APETALA1/FRUITFULL GENE LINEAGE

THE LANGUAGE OF LAND AND LIFE: CONNECTING LANGUAGE AND ECOLOGY IN WIX?RIKA (HCH)

CATALOGUE OF LEGUME SPECIMENS IN THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN HERBARIUM PART 2: THE BARNEBY DIGITAL MONOGRAPH AND SPECIMEN CATALOGUE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHYLOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF THE CHARACEAE (CHARALES)

EVOLUTION AND DIVERSIFICATION IN APIACEAE SUBFAMILY AZORELLOIDEAE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH ON THE MARCHANTIOPHYTA, ANTHOCEROPHYTA AND BRYOPHYTA OF THE CAPE HORN ARCHIPELAGO: FLORISTICS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATIO

EMILY DICKINSON'S FLOWERS AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

A BIODIVERSITY SURVEY OF POHNPEI AND KOSRAE ISLANDS, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA; UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC DISTURBANCE ON PLANT,

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RESOLVING THE RELATIONSHIPS OF MELASTOMATACEAE, ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DIVERSE FLOWERING PLANT RADIATIONS

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: USING HERBARIUM DATA TO DOCUMENT PLANT NICHES IN THE HIGH PEAKS AND HIGH PLAINS OF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE PTERIDOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS CONSORTIUM: AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO PTERIDOPHYTE DIVERSITY OVER THE LAST 420 MILLION YEARS

DIGITIZATION TCN COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NORTH AMERICAN LICHENS AND BRYOPHYTES: SENSITIVE INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND CHANGE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: QUANTIZING THE FUNCTIONAL TRAIT SPECTRUM: CAM PHOTOSYNTHESIS, LIFE HISTORY AND NITROGEN CYCLING IN THE DIVERSE NEOTROPICAL BROMELIADS -NON-TECHNICAL PARAGRAPH: NITROGEN IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NUTRIENT FOR PLANT GROWTH. HOWEVER, CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW NITROGEN AVAILABILITY INFLUENCES PLANT FORM AND FUNCTION ARE BASED ON PLANTS WITH SIMILAR GROWTH FORMS AND MEANS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS. TROPICAL EPIPHYTES, WHICH GROW ON OTHER PLANTS AND OBTAIN WATER AND NUTRIENTS FROM THE CANOPY RATHER THAN SOIL, ARE VERY DIVERSE BUT HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED FROM STUDIES CONNECTING NITROGEN USE TO PHOTOSYNTHESIS, GROWTH AND ECOLOGY. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE TROPICAL BROMELIADS (BROMELIACEAE, 3500+ SPECIES), A FAMILY WITH MANY EPIPHYTES AND DIFFERENT MEANS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS, AS A MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW NITROGEN SCARCITY INFLUENCES PHYSIOLOGY, GROWTH AND NITROGEN CYCLING THROUGH ECOSYSTEMS. BROADLY, THIS WORK WILL USE EXPERIMENTS AND SURVEYS TO TEST HOW NITROGEN AVAILABILITY INFLUENCES HOW PLANTS PHOTOSYNTHESIZE, INVEST IN LEAVES VERSUS FLOWERS, AND DECOMPOSE IN DIFFERENT HABITATS. INCLUDING TROPICAL EPIPHYTES WILL PROVIDE A MORE ROBUST FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF PLANT DIVERSITY. THE PROJECT WILL ENGAGE RESEARCHERS FROM HIGH SCHOOL ONWARD IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM SPANNING BOTANICAL GARDENS, A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE AND A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY TO TRAIN A NEW GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS IN COLLABORATIVE, GREENHOUSE-BASED RESEARCH, WITH CONSERVATION APPLICATIONS IN FLORIDA WHERE MANY THREATENED BROMELIADS GROW. TECHNICAL PARAGRAPH: PLANTS GROW IN RESPONSE TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT, RESULTING IN VARIED MORPHOLOGIES, PHYSIOLOGIES, AND LIFE HISTORIES. CATEGORIZING THEIR FORMS INTO FUNCTIONALLY INTEGRATED SUITES OF TRAITS HELPS ANSWER WHY SPECIES GROW WHERE THEY DO DEPENDING ON HOW THEY OBTAIN AND ALLOCATE LIMITING RESOURCES. ONE SUCH FRAMEWORK DESCRIBES A TRADEOFF BETWEEN FAST-GROWING, RESOURCE-ACQUISITIVE TRAITS AND SLOW-GROWING, RESOURCE-CONSERVING TRAITS. THIS FAST-SLOW CONTINUUM HYPOTHESIS APPLIES TO DIVERSE LINEAGES AND ACROSS ECOSYSTEMS. YET, IT WAS DEVELOPED BASED ON TERRESTRIAL, C3 PHOTOSYNTHETIC PLANTS, AND HAS LARGELY EXCLUDED OTHER PHOTOSYNTHETIC PATHWAYS AND GROWTH FORMS. THE DIVERSE NEOTROPICAL BROMELIACEAE, WHICH HAS BEEN UNDERSTUDIED FOR FUNCTIONAL TRAITS, INCLUDES MULTIPLE EVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS OF CAM PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN EPIPHYTIC HABITATS WHERE NITROGEN (N) IS ESPECIALLY LIMITING. THIS PROJECT INTERROGATES CONNECTIONS BETWEEN N LIMITATION AND TRADEOFFS IN PLANT FUNCTIONAL TRAITS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE ROLES OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY AND GROWTH FORM. SPECIFICALLY THIS PROJECT WILL TEST 1) THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR RESPONSES TO N LIMITATION IN C3 AND CAM BROMELIAD SPECIES, ASSESS 2) LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF N LIMITATION ON ALLOCATION TO FUNCTIONAL TRAITS, INCLUDING VEGETATIVE VS. REPRODUCTIVE GROWTH, AND DETERMINE 3) HOW N, PHOTOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY, AND FUNCTIONAL TRAITS AFFECT LEAF LITTER QUALITY AND N-CYCLE FEEDBACKS IN TERRESTRIAL VERSUS EPIPHYTIC HABITATS. THESE GOALS WILL BE ACHIEVED VIA INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK COMBINING EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES, MORPHOLOGY, ECOPHYSIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND GENOMICS. THE RESEARCH PROJECT WILL ENGAGE SCHOLARS AND SCIENTISTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL ONWARDS, WILL PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AT A PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION, AND WILL TRAIN A NEW GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY, COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE. STATEMENT OF MERIT REVIEW: 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INTEGRATING DIGITIZATION, EXPLORATION, GENOMICS, AND STUDENT TRAINING TO ILLUMINATE FORCES SHAPING APPALACHIAN LICHEN DISTRIBUTIONS

TAXONOMIC REVISION PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS AND LEAF EVOLUTION IN ELAPHOGLOSSUM SECT. SQUAMIPEDIA (DRYOPTERIDACEAE)

CATALOGING AND DIGITIZING THE LUESTHER T. MERTZ LIBRARY'S NURSERY AND TRADE CATALOG COLLECTION

REVSYS: MONOGRAPHIC REVISION AND PHYLOGENY OF THE FERN GENUS MEGALASTRUM (DRYOPTERIDACEAE)

OPUS: A CAREER IN CYCAD BIOLOGY: AN E-MONOGRAPH -IN THE PLANT TREE OF LIFE, A GROUP OF PLANTS OF SPECIAL INTEREST ARE THE CYCADS. THE CYCADS ARE WIDELY CONSIDERED THE WORLD?S MOST ENDANGERED PLANTS WITH MOST OF THE 380 LIVING SPECIES CONSIDERED THREATENED BY EXTINCTION ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE?S RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES. THESE EARLY PLANTS ARE OFTEN TERMED LIVING FOSSILS BECAUSE OF THEIR ANCIENT ORIGIN OVER 300 MILLION YEARS AGO AND THEIR PREVALENCE DURING THE AGE OF THE DINOSAURS, A TIME IN WHICH THEY WERE MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD AND DIVERSE THAN THEY ARE TODAY. THE SURVIVING CYCADS ARE PARTICULARLY VALUABLE FOR STUDYING PLANT EVOLUTION BECAUSE OF THEIR EXCELLENT FOSSIL RECORD. EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE CHANGED LITTLE IN OUTWARD APPEARANCE, THESE PLANTS HAVE MANY UNIQUE FEATURES, SOME OF WHICH ARE ANCESTRAL (PRIMITIVE) AND SOME OF WHICH ARE DERIVED (ADVANCED). TO SAVE THEM FROM EXTINCTION, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THOSE CHANGES OCCURRED THROUGH TIME AND CORRELATE THEM WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES AND OTHER BIOTIC FACTORS. FURTHERMORE, THE CHEMISTRY OF MODERN CYCADS IS UNIQUE AND HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN HEALTH, PARTICULARLY IN NEUROBIOLOGY. IN A WAY, CYCADS SERVE AS A ROSETTA STONE FOR PLANT EVOLUTION. THIS PROJECT WILL SYNTHESIZE ALL AVAILABLE DATA ON CYCAD BIOLOGY AND MAKE THOSE DATA ACCESSIBLE, VIA A WEB SITE, TO A BROAD AUDIENCE OF RESEARCHERS AS WELL AS TO THE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN AND ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO CYCAD CONSERVATION EFFORTS. THIS PROJECT WILL GENERATE A COMPLETE, MODERN E-MONOGRAPH AND DATA REPOSITORY OF THE CYCADS. MANY AVENUES OF RESEARCH WILL BE OPENED IN THE AREAS OF TAXONOMY, BIOGEOGRAPHY, GENOMICS, AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY. THIS E-MONOGRAPH, HOSTED BY THE WORLD LIST OF CYCADS, WILL SERVE TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES, BACKGROUND, AND BASICS FOR THOSE PURSUITS. IT WILL INCLUDE ORIGINAL SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS, TYPE SPECIMENS, SYNONYMS, INVALID AND ILLEGITIMATE NOMENCLATURE, AND ALL PUBLISHED NOMENCLATURE AT VARIOUS TAXONOMIC LEVELS. THERE WILL BE MODERN, PARALLEL DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL TAXA ACCOMPANIED BY PHOTOGRAPHS AND LINE ART, AS WELL AS IDENTIFICATION TOOLS, DISTRIBUTION MAPS, HABITAT DATA WITH HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS, ECOLOGY, STRUCTURAL DATA, CHEMICAL DATA, LIFE CYCLE INFORMATION, AND PHENOLOGY AND POLLINATION BIOLOGY WHEN KNOWN. THE E-MONOGRAPH WILL ALSO INCLUDE AN ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY AND SECTIONS ON ETHNOBOTANY, VERNACULAR NAMES, PHYTOCHEMISTRY, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND NITROGEN FIXATION. THE COMPREHENSIVE SYNTHESIS UNDERTAKEN HERE WILL BENEFIT FROM THE DIGITIZATION OF OVER 5000 HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY MICROSCOPE SLIDES MADE BY C.J. CHAMBERLAIN ON EMBRYOLOGY AND BY ADRIANCE FOSTER, MARION JOHNSON, AND KNUT NORSTOG ON DEVELOPMENTAL ANATOMY AND MORPHOLOGY. RELEVANT SECTIONS TIED TO BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES PUBLISHED BY THESE RESEARCHERS, AS WELL AS THOSE OF PI STEVENSON, WILL BE DIGITIZED IN COLOR AND INCORPORATED INTO DEVELOPMENTAL PAGES, THEREBY PROVIDING MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON CYCAD STRUCTURE TO THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. HISTORIC HABITAT PHOTOGRAPHS OF CYCADS BY CHAMBERLAIN, NORSTOG, AND STEVENSON WILL BE SCANNED AND ADDED TO THE SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS AND THE GEOGRAPHY AND ECOLOGY SECTIONS. 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.

FILLING A CRITICAL GAP IN THE SAMPLING OF AMAZONIA PLANT DIVERSITY: FLORISTIC INVENTORY OF THE TAPAJOS NATIONAL FOREST AND AMAZONIA NATIONAL PARK

BIODIVERSITY INVENTORIES: BOLETINEAE (FUNGI) IN QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA

GENERATING AN ENDOWMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE LUESTHER T. MERTZ LIBRARY'S CORE HUMANITIES ACTIVITIES

EAGER: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO ACCELERATE PLANT SPECIES DISCOVERY

MRI: ACQUISITION OF A HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTER CLUSTER FOR THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

DIMENSIONS US-BIOTA-SAO PAULO: ASSEMBLY AND EVOLUTION OF THE AMAZONIAN BIOTA AND ITS ENVIRONMENT: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION AND ENRICHMENT OF U.S. HERBARIUM DATA FROM TROPICAL AFRICA TO ENABLE URGENT QUANTITATIVE CONSERVATION ASSESSMENTS -BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF WORK BY BOTANISTS AND ZOOLOGISTS, ACCUMULATING RICH STORES OF SPECIMENS AND ASSOCIATED DATA IN MUSEUMS AND HERBARIA AROUND THE WORLD. THESE RICH INFORMATION RESOURCES, HOWEVER, TOO OFTEN REMAIN IN ANALOG FORMAT ONLY, AND HAVE NOT BEEN DIGITIZED AND ?ENABLED? IN THE SERVICE OF SCIENCE. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DIGITIZE, ENRICH, AND SHARE OPENLY THE RICH DATA RESOURCES HELD IN UNITED STATES HERBARIA THAT CORRESPOND TO PLANTS OF TROPICAL AFRICA. BY THE CLOSE OF THE PROJECT, IT WILL HAVE CAPTURED DATA FROM 1.1 MILLION HERBARIUM SPECIMENS, AND WILL AUGMENT DIGITAL ACCESSIBLE DATA RECORDS FOR THE AFRICAN CONTINENT BY MORE THAN 15-FOLD. IT WILL ALSO HAVE CREATED A BROAD, INTERNATIONAL, INTERCONTINENTAL NETWORK OF SCIENTISTS AND STUDENTS INTERESTED IN AND EXPERIENCED WITH MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS OF SUCH DATA. THIS COMBINATION OF INFORMATION RESOURCES AND HUMAN CAPACITY WILL ENRICH AND IMPROVE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PLANNING ACROSS AFRICA. HERBARIUM SPECIMENS REPRESENT A RICH SOURCE OF DATA ON PLANT DIVERSITY. THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON THE TROPICAL AFRICAN SEED PLANT SPECIMEN HOLDINGS OF 21 U.S. HERBARIA, WHICH WILL BE IMAGED, ASSOCIATED DATA CAPTURED, AND DATA RECORDS GEOREFERENCED AND QUALITY-CONTROLLED. IMAGING AND DATA CAPTURE WILL BE CARRIED OUT AT EACH OF THE HERBARIA, AND DATA WILL BE AGGREGATED FOR EFFICIENT GEOREFERENCING. FOR MOST RECORDS, GEOREFERENCING WILL BE PERFORMED AUTOMATICALLY; HOWEVER, A SMALL PORTION WILL BE GEOREFERENCED MANUALLY BY PLANT SCIENTISTS IN GHANA, RWANDA, MALAWI, AND GABON. FINALLY, PROJECT DATA WILL BE SUBJECTED TO DETAILED QUALITY-CONTROL ASSESSMENT, AND SERVED OPENLY TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY VIA A DEDICATED ?AFRICAN PLANTS? PORTAL ON SYMBIOTA, AS WELL AS INTEGRATION INTO IDIGBIO.ORG AND THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION FACILITY (GBIF.ORG). THESE RICH DATA RESOURCES WILL BE USED TO UNDERSTAND THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF AFRICAN PLANT SPECIES IN MUCH GREATER DETAIL THAN HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO DATE. 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.

DIGITIZING AND TRANSCRIBING THE JOHN TORREY PAPERS: NATURAL SCIENCE AND EXPLORATION IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICA

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE: DOCUMENTING THE OCCURRENCE THROUGH SPACE & TIME OF AQUATIC NON-INDIGENOUS FISH, MOLLUSKS, ALGAE, & PLANTS THREATENIN

EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENC

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL IMPLEMENT THE SECOND PHASE OF ITS THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE AND REHABILITATIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR VETERAN ENGAGEMENT (THRIVE) PROGRAM TO PROVIDE HORTICULTURAL THERAPY PROGRAMMING FOR LOCAL VETERANS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RESILIENCE AND WELLNESS CENTER IN THE BRONX-BASED JAMES J. PETERS VETERANS ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL CENTER, THE GARDEN'S EDIBLE ACADEMY WILL EXPAND SERVICES AND OUTREACH FOR PARTICIPATING VETERANS AND THRIVE ALUMS. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN ABOUT PLANTS AND NUTRITION BY GROWING, HARVESTING, PREPARING, AND CONSUMING FRESH PRODUCE WITH HORTICULTURAL THERAPY SPECIALISTS. THE GARDEN WILL HOLD A SYMPOSIUM WITH CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, HORTICULTURAL THERAPY SPECIALISTS, AND VETERANS' ORGANIZATIONS TO SHARE STRATEGIES AND BEST PRACTICES INFORMED BY THE THRIVE PROGRAM, AND STAFF WILL PRESENT FINDINGS AND SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT HORTICULTURAL THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS AT PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES AND VIA NEW DIGITAL RESOURCES.

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE: VISIONS OF HAWAI'I

CATALOGUE OF VASCULAR PLANT SPECIMENS FROM BRAZIL, PART 2: CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN STATES

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL IMPROVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT ITS LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS BY STREAMLINING ITS DATA COLLECTION, STORAGE, AND ANALYSIS SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT WILL CREATE A NEW MOBILE-OPTIMIZED COMPUTER MAPPING SYSTEM THAT WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO SHARE GIS-DATA DRIVEN CONTENT AND STORIES WITH THE PUBLIC. THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEB-OPTIMIZED SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY FOR THE COLLECTIONS DATABASE WILL ENABLE STAFF TO MORE EASILY COLLECT AND INPUT DATA IN THE FIELD AND QUERY MAPS FOR INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT PURPOSES. TRAINING FOR PROJECT STAFF IN THE USE OF THE NEW SOFTWARE WILL BE PRESENTED THROUGH A "TRAIN THE TRAINER" APPROACH SO THEY CAN HELP OTHER STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, STUDENTS, AND INTERNS USE THE NEW SOFTWARE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION TCN: THE MID-ATLANTIC MEGALOPOLIS: ACHIEVING A GREATER SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF OUR URBAN WORLD

A DNA BANK CATALOG FOR THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PHYLOGENY, DIVERSIFICATION, AND EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORIES IN THE "TEREBINTHACEAE" (ANACARDIACEAE AND BURSERACEAE)

CSBR: NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS: DEVELOPING ERICACEAE RESEARCH RESOURCES THROUGH COLLECTIONS ENHANCEMENT AND DATA INTEGRATION

PLANT DIVERSITY IN LAS ORQUIDEAS (COLOMBIA): EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY IN THE ENDANGERED AND BIODIVERSE TROPICAL ANDES AND CHOCO BIOGEOGRAPHIC REGION

THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL COLLABORATE WITH THE JAMES J. PETERS VETERANS ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL CENTER RESILIENCE AND WELLNESS CENTER TO CREATE A NEW HORTICULTURAL THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS. THE GARDEN WILL CREATE MULTI-SESSION PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AND FOSTER HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES. A LICENSED HORTICULTURAL THERAPIST WILL FACILITATE A SERIES OF SESSIONS, EACH CONSISTING OF FOUR WEEKS OF SEASONALLY BASED ACTIVITIES THAT INCLUDE PLANTING, SEED STARTING, WATERING, WEEDING, COOKING, AND NUTRITION EDUCATION. EACH MONTH, AT THE END OF EACH COHORT'S SESSION, THERE WILL BE A CULMINATING WEEKEND CELEBRATION FOR THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES. SERVING GROUPS OF 8-10 INDIVIDUALS PER SESSION, THE PROJECT WILL SERVE UP TO 300 VETERANS. THE GARDEN WILL CREATE A SCALABLE PROGRAM MODEL FOR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT VETERAN POPULATIONS WITH WELLNESS OPPORTUNITIES USING HORTICULTURAL RESOURCES.

LAND AS ARCHIVE: NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORIES OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN [LAND AS ARCHIVE: NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORIES OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN IS A PROPOSAL FOR TWO NEW ONE-WEEK WORKSHOPS (JULY 7-13 AND JULY 21-18, 2025) HOSTED BY THE HUMANITIES INSTITUTE AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN (NYBG). REGISTERED AS A NATIONAL LANDMARK IN 1967?, NYBG WILL BE A CASE STUDY TO READ THE LAND AS A MULTILAYERED ARCHIVE OF HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN INTERACTIONS AND EXAMINE ITS HISTORY AND CULTURAL RELEVANCE TO DIFFERENT PEOPLES THROUGH THE LENS OF ITS RICH ECOLOGY. EACH WORKSHOP WILL HOST 20 PARTICIPANTS WORKING IN THE HUMANITIES FIELDS TO DEVELOP ANALYTICAL AND PRACTICAL SKILLS AND INTEGRATE SCIENTIFIC AND TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES, AND ARCHIVAL RESOURCES INTO THEIR PLACE-BASED RESEARCH AND TEACHING PRACTICE. NYBG?S TEAM OF HUMANISTS AND SCIENTISTS WILL LEAD THE WORKSHOPS, ALONG WITH GUEST SCHOLARS, FOR LECTURES, DISCUSSION SESSIONS, AND HANDS-ON EXPLORATIONS OF THE INSTITUTION?S ARCHIVES AND LAND.]

MRI ACQUISITION-ADVANCING PLANT AND FUNGAL RESEARCH AT NYBG WITH A MODERN SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

PARTNERSHIP TO THE EXISTING NEW ENGLAND VASCULAR PLANT NETWORK FOR COLLECTIONS AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

OPUS: MOVING BRAZIL NUT (LECYTHIDACEAE) RESEARCH INTO THE FUTURE-II

REVSYS: A PHYLOGENETIC MONOGRAPH OF THE SPECIES-RICH NEOTROPICAL TREE GENUS SWARTZIA (LEGUMINOSAE)

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: REVSYS: TACKLING SCHEFFLERA: INITIATING THE RE-CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE LARGEST GENUS IN ARALIACEAE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF PLOIDAL LEVEL ON RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHANGE IN PLANTS -POLYPLOIDY, OR WHOLE GENOME DUPLICATION, OCCURS WHEN AN ORGANISM HAS ONE OR MORE EXTRA COPIES OF ALL ITS CHROMOSOMES. THIS PHENOMENON IS PARTICULARLY COMMON IN PLANTS, AND RECENT ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT 15-30% OF PLANTS ARE POLYPLOID. POLYPLOID SPECIES INCLUDE A VAST NUMBER OF CROP AND OTHER PLANTS WITH ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL USES (E.G., COTTON, WHEAT, POTATO, SOYBEAN). POLYPLOIDY IS KNOWN TO INFLUENCE A WIDE RANGE OF GENETIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PLANTS, INCLUDING PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS RELATED TO WATER USE AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS. POLYPLOID PLANTS CAN BE MORE VIGOROUS THAN DIPLOIDS, HAVE BROADER ECOLOGICAL NICHES, WIDER GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS, AND INCREASED ABILITY TO INVADE NEW HABITATS, ALL DRIVEN BY NOVEL GENETIC COMBINATIONS OR GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS THAT CAN PRODUCE EXTENSIVE CHANGES IN MANY TRAITS. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE HOW POLYPLOIDY AFFECTS PLANTS' ABILITY TO RESPOND TO INCREASES IN TEMPERATURE AND DECREASES IN AVAILABLE WATER (I.E., DROUGHT). GENE EXPRESSION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO DROUGHT AND TEMPERATURE WILL BE MEASURED FOR A SET OF FERN SPECIES AT DIFFERENT PLOIDAL LEVELS (AMOUNTS OF POLYPLOIDY). KNOWING WHETHER AND HOW PLOIDAL LEVEL IMPACTS THESE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF THE EASTERN FORESTS OF THE UNITED STATES WILL ALLOW BETTER PREDICTION OF HOW CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE AND WATER AVAILABILITY WILL INFLUENCE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS AND WILL INFORM CONSERVATION EFFORTS. INFORMATION ON GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES INVOLVED IN TOLERANCE OF DROUGHT AND INCREASED TEMPERATURES HAS POTENTIAL TO ASSIST CROP BREEDING PROGRAMS. AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PROJECT IS TO TRAIN POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATES, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON A SET OF FERN SPECIES FOUND IN FORESTS THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THIS IS A NATURALLY OCCURRING PLANT SYSTEM WHERE POLYPLOIDY IS PREVALENT, AND WHOSE MEMBERS ARE ECOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT IN THE ECOSYSTEMS WHERE THEY OCCUR. GAMETOPHYTES OF SIX DRYOPTERIS SPECIES, INCLUDING TWO PAIRS OF A POLYPLOID AND ITS PARENT TAXA, WILL BE GROWN IN A MULTIFACTORIAL EXPERIMENT WITH DROUGHT AND TEMPERATURE TREATMENTS. DATA WILL BE COLLECTED ON REPRODUCTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY TO DETERMINE HOW CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE AND WATER AVAILABILITY INFLUENCE DEMOGRAPHICS AND SPOROPHYTE RECRUITMENT FROM GAMETOPHYTES AS WELL AS ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS. RNASEQ WILL BE USED TO GENERATE GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES TO EVALUATE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UNSTRESSED, DEHYDRATED, AND REHYDRATED GAMETOPHYTES IN DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE TREATMENTS. DATA WILL BE ANALYZED USING NEW METHODS FOR PERFORMING DIFFERENTIAL GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSES ON PER-CELL, PER-BIOMASS, AND PER-TRANSCRIPTOME BASES. RESULTS WILL BE INFORMATIVE IN QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT ON GENE EXPRESSION IN ORGANISMS AT DIFFERENT PLOIDY LEVELS, INCLUDING IN CROP PLANTS AND NON-PLANT SYSTEMS. THE RESULTS OF THIS WORK WILL IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PLOIDAL LEVEL MAY INFLUENCE SPECIES' RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. A WORKSHOP ON HOW TO EFFECTIVELY AND ENGAGINGLY TEACH PLANT LIFE CYCLES WILL BE HELD AT THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA'S ANNUAL BOTANY CONFERENCE, AND WILL USE A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH THAT INCORPORATES RESULTS FROM THE RESEARCH. 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.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: AVATOL - NEXT GENERATION PHENOMICS FOR THE TREE OF LIFE

CHARACTERIZATION OF PATTERNS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN NORTH AMERICAN ASHES (FRAXINUS SPP.)

INDEX HERBARIORUM UPGRADE: A PROJECT TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORLD'S PLANT AND FUNGAL COLLECTIONS ASSETS

NATURAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP

TO SUPPORT PERSONNEL COSTS IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

TO SUPPORT AN EXHIBITION ON THE WORK OF BRAZILIAN MODERNIST LANDSCAPE DESIGNER AND ARTIST ROBERTO BURLE MARX.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOGUE, "FRIDA KAHLO: ART, GARDEN, LIFE."

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT A SOLO EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY EBONY G. PATTERSON.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOGUE "IMPRESSIONISM: AMERICAN GARDENS ON CANVAS."

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION KUSAMA: COSMIC NATURE.

TO SUPPORT THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOG GEORGIA OKEEFFE: VISIONS OF HAWAII.

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: QUANTIFYING RAPID ADAPTATION IN AN AQUATIC INVASIVE ALGAL SPECIES.

TO SUPPORT A LITERARY AUDIO TOUR OF THE GARDEN.

DDEP: INTERNATIONAL: BIODIVERSITY AND MANAGEMENT OF TEA PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN YUNNAN, CHINA

SG: A REVISED TAXONOMY OF THE PALM GENUS IGUANURA

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: TESTING FOR GENETIC DISCONTINUITIES ACROSS MULTIPLE SPATIAL SCALES IN A WIDESPREAD CRANBERRY PATHOGEN

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: IMPLEMENTING A PIONEERING APPROACH TO DOCUMENT AND DESCRIBE THE TAXONOMICALLY NEGLECTED STERILE CRUSTOSE LICHENS THROUGH A REV

INVENTORY OF PLANTS DISPERSED BY BATS IN A NEOTROPICAL FOREST

NATIONAL AWARD FOR MUSEUM SERVICE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: GYMNOSPERMS ON THE TREE OF LIFE: RESOLVING THE PHYLOGENY OF SEED PLANTS

LUESTHER T. MERTZ LIBRARY DIGITAL PRESERVATION PLAN

LUESTHER T. MERTZ LIBRARY PRESERVATION PLAN AND UPDATED PRESERVATION ASSESSMENT

U.S.-BRAZIL RESEARCH PLANNING VISIT: PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS OF XYRIDACEAE (POALES)---TOWARDS A MONOGRAPH OF THE YELLOW-EYED GRASSES