Botanica Inc

COMPARING THE EFFICACY OF COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FORMATS FOR IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES OF A STUDENT-TEACHER-SCIENTIST PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

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

RAMP: UNDERSTANDING PLANT SPECIES RARITY: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES FROM GENES TO ECOSYSTEMS -THE CURRENT PLANT RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION WORKFORCE IS NOT ADEQUATE TO MEET THE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES OF THE COMING DECADES THAT INCLUDE BIODIVERSITY LOSS, CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD INSECURITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. THE UNITED STATES IS FACING SEVERE SHORTAGES OF BOTANICALLY TRAINED SCIENTISTS, NOW AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AS WELL AS A DECLINE IN DEGREE PROGRAMS AND COURSE OFFERINGS IN BOTANY AND PLANT SCIENCE IN UNIVERSITIES WHICH ALSO THREATENS THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR NATION?S RESOURCES. THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR MAJOR ADVANCES IN BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN THE SCIENCES FROM HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED GROUPS, INCLUDING ENGAGEMENT IN PLANT RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION. IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THIS MAJOR TRAINING GAP, THE RARE PLANT RAMP NETWORK, A COLLABORATIVE TEAM, WILL BE ASSEMBLED FROM FOUR BOTANICAL GARDENS: THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN, CALIFORNIA BOTANIC GARDEN, THE MORTON ARBORETUM, AND THE SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDEN. THESE ORGANIZATIONS WILL TRAIN POSTBACCALAUREATE MENTEES IN CONSERVATION, GENETICS, ECOLOGY, ECONOMIC BOTANY, AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF RARE PLANTS. THE RARE PLANT RAMP NETWORK WILL CONSIST OF RESEARCHERS, SCIENTISTS, AND CONSERVATION PROFESSIONALS AT EACH INSTITUTION WHO WILL SERVE AS MENTORS AND CO-MENTORS AND ENGAGE THREE COHORTS OF EIGHT MENTEES EACH WITH EACH PARTICIPATING INSTITUTION SERVING TWO MENTEES PER YEAR. RECRUITMENT PRACTICES WILL INCLUDE PARTICIPANTS FROM GROUPS UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM; THESE BACCALAUREATES WILL THEN ENGAGE IN BROADER IMPACTS ACTIVITIES THAT WILL SUPPORT THEM DURING THE PROGRAM. THE FIVE OBJECTIVES OF THE RARE PLANT RAMP NETWORK ARE TO 1) PROVIDE CAREER GUIDANCE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO POST-BACCALAUREATE MENTEES; 2) BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN BOTANICAL SCIENCES AND CONSERVATION; 3) EMPOWER MENTEES TO PERFORM INDEPENDENT AND COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH THAT WILL STRENGTHEN THEIR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE SCIENCE TO OTHER RESEARCHERS, POLICYMAKERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC; 4) FORM A COHORT OF PEERS WHOSE LASTING BONDS/RELATIONSHIPS WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATIVE WORK IN THE YEARS TO COME; AND 5) IMPROVE THE MENTORING SKILLS AND CAPACITIES OF RESEARCHERS IN BOTANICAL SCIENCE ORGANIZATIONS. TO IMPROVE MENTEE EXPERIENCES, MENTORS AND CO-MENTORS WILL BE TRAINED IN INCLUSIVE MENTORING PRACTICES. MENTEES AND CO-MENTORS WILL TAKE PART IN BI-WEEKLY MEETINGS FOCUSING ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOPICS, AN ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM AT ONE OF THE PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS, AND ONE NATIONAL CONFERENCE PER YEAR. THE NETWORK WILL BE COLLABORATIVE, EXCHANGE IDEAS, AND FOSTER LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PARTICIPANTS AND COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS. 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.

PLANTINGSCIENCE: DIGGING DEEPER TOGETHER - A MODEL FOR COLLABORATIVE TEACHER/SCIENTIST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

STRENGTH OF OUR ROOTS THE COMMUNITYS RECLAMATION OF OUR TREES AND SOIL IN THE SAINT GEORGE VILLAGE BOTANICAL GARDEN SAINT CROIX UNITED STATES VIRGIN

RESILIENT FORESTS STRONG COMMUNITIES ANCHORING A PUBLIC FORESTRY CAMPAIGN IN HAWAIIS ONLY FEDERALLY DESIGNATED COMMUNITY FOREST

PLANTING SCIENCE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION

PURPOSE: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTED SPENDING AWARDS ARE AUTHORIZED UNDER THE CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2022 PUBLIC LAW 117-328 AND THE EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR DIVISION L OF THAT ACT. PROJECTS SELECTED FOR COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTED SPENDING ARE LISTED IN THE JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (JES) THAT ACCOMPANIES A SPECIFIC FISCAL YEAR’S APPROPRIATIONS ACT OR CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. THE JES LISTS PROJECT, RECIPIENT, STATE, AMOUNT AND CONGRESSIONAL SPONSOR.; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING AWARD PROJECTS INCLUDE A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES THAT RESULT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES. HUD WILL NOT KNOW THE FULL SCOPE OF THE PROJECT UNTIL THE RECIPIENT SUBMITS THE REQUIRED PROJECT NARRATIVE AND CONFIRMS ALIGNMENT WITH THE LANGUAGE AS PROVIDED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. TO FIND THE DETAILS OF THE GRANT AWARD AS WRITTEN WITHIN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD USE THE FOLLOWING LINK AND PATH SELECTIONS TO GET TO THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING GRANTS HTTPS://WWW.HUD.GOV/PROGRAM_OFFICES/COMM_PLANNING/EDI-GRANTS, SELECT THE FISCAL YEAR OF INTEREST, SCROLL DOWN TO PROGRAM LAWS AND REGULATIONS, UNDER FISCAL YEAR 20XX CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 20XX: CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT).; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT AS DESCRIBED IN THE JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT (JES) PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SUBSEQUENT APPROVED PROJECT NARRATIVE.; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE PROJECT BENEFICIARIES ARE THE INDIVIDUALS AND/OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE AWARDED GRANT FUNDS OR SERVED BY THE ENTITIES THAT ARE AWARDED GRANT FUNDS AS IDENTIFIED IN THE JES RECIPIENT OR PROJECT DESCRIPTION SECTIONS.; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES ARE UNKNOWN AT THE TIME OF AWARD.

TAS::89 0321::TAS NEW CONGRESSIONALLY-DIRECTED PROJECT TRACKING #194.1 WITH PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS - PROJECT WILL INSTALL GEOTHERM

DIGITIZATION TCN: COLLABORATIVE: AMERICAN CROSSROADS: DIGITIZING THE VASCULAR FLORA OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL UNITED STATES

A FULL-SCALE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL -INFORMAL COMMUNITY SCIENCE INVESTIGATORS (ICSI): NEXT GENERATION ENGAGEMENT FOR INFORMAL SCIENCE INSTITUTIONS

STRATEGIES: COMMUNITY SCIENCE INVESTIGATORS

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

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.

WATER & SEWER IMPRVMTS

PREPARING LEADERS AND NURTURING TOMORROWS SCIENTISTS: BOTANY AND BEYOND (PLANTS III)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PLANT DISCOVERY IN THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

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

NSFDEB-NERC: SUBTRIBAL CLASSIFICATION AND GENERIC DELIMITATION AMONG EASTERN HEMISPHERE IRONWEEDS (VERNONIEAE, COMPOSITAE). -THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS IS AMONG THE MOST URGENT GLOBAL THREATS FACING HUMANITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. WITH NEARLY HALF A MILLION PLANT SPECIES ON EARTH, UNDERSTANDING THEIR DIVERSITY IS A KEY PRIORITY. HOWEVER, THERE ARE TOO MANY PLANT SPECIES AND NOT ENOUGH TRAINED TAXONOMISTS TO STUDY, DESCRIBE AND DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION ABOUT THEM. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC FOR LARGE PLANT FAMILIES SUCH AS THE SUNFLOWER FAMILY (COMPOSITAE), WHICH INCLUDES MORE THAN 30,000 SPECIES AND NEARLY 2,000 GENERA. ONE OF THE HYPER-DIVERSE PLANT GROUPS WITHIN THIS FAMILY INCLUDES APPROXIMATELY 1,500 SPECIES OF ?IRONWEEDS? (VERNONIEAE), WHICH HAS PROVEN SO CHALLENGING FOR BOTANISTS THAT IT IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE ?EVIL TRIBE?. UNTIL RECENTLY, MOST SPECIES OF ?IRONWEEDS? (>1,000) WERE PLACED INTO A SINGLE, BROADLY DEFINED GENUS, VERNONIA. HOWEVER, THIS GENUS HAS BEEN REDUCED TO INCLUDE ONLY 21 SPECIES RESTRICTED TO THE AMERICAS. IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE ALONE, VERNONIEAE IS REPRESENTED BY MORE THAN 700 SPECIES AND MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF THESE REMAIN IN THE GENUS VERNONIA, AWAITING PLACEMENT IN A DIFFERENT GENUS. THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT CRITICAL SAMPLING OF DNA AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS FROM IRONWEEDS IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE BASED ON FIELD AND HERBARIUM COLLECTIONS. THESE GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA WILL CLARIFY TAXONOMIC BOUNDARIES IN THE TRIBE AND FORM THE BASIS OF COMPARATIVE STUDIES TO UNDERSTAND EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SPECIES IN THIS DIVERSE AND ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT GROUP OF PLANTS. DATA COLLECTED AS PART OF THIS WORK WILL BE ADDED TO THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED GLOBAL COMPOSITAE DATABASE (GCD), A PUBLIC, ONLINE TAXONOMIC RESOURCE. RESULTS OF THIS WORK WILL BE BROADLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE GCD, AND NEW, INTEGRATIVE TAXONOMIC TOOLS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE BROAD SUPPORT TO THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF COMPOSITAE SPECIALISTS THROUGH THE GCD AND INSPIRE AND TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLANT TAXONOMISTS THROUGH WORKSHOPS, TUTORIALS, PUBLIC LECTURES, AND VIDEOS. TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED TO A DIVERSE AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF THEIR EDUCATION (FROM K-12 TO GRADUATE SCHOOL), PROFESSIONALS (E.G., COLLECTIONS MANAGERS AND CURATORS, POSTDOCS, AND FACULTY), AND THE PUBLIC. OUTCOMES FROM THIS PROJECT WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HOW WE DESCRIBE AND COMMUNICATE ABOUT DIVERSITY IN A LARGE AND HISTORICALLY CHALLENGING GROUP OF PLANTS (VERNONIEAE), WHICH IN TURN IS PART OF THE MOST SPECIES-RICH PLANT FAMILY ON EARTH (COMPOSITAE). BOTANISTS WHO SPECIALIZE IN THE TAXONOMY OF VERNONIEAE HAVE STRUGGLED TO UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTERS THAT CAN HELP DIFFERENTIATE AMONG THE MORE THAN 700 SPECIES IN THIS TRIBE THAT OCCUR IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE. FIELD WORK WILL BE BASED IN FIVE COUNTRIES (NAMELY DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, MADAGASCAR, MOZAMBIQUE, SOUTH AFRICA, AND THAILAND) AND COLLECTIONS WILL BE STUDIED FROM FOUR HERBARIA, WHICH HOLD THE LARGEST HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF VERNONIEAE IN THE WORLD. DNA DATA WILL BE GENERATED USING A HIGH-THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING METHOD, WHICH HAS BEEN PROVEN TO RECONSTRUCT EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SPECIES IN THIS GROUP. DETAILED ANALYSES WILL BE CONDUCTED ON A SET OF MORE THAN 150 MACRO- AND MICROMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS, INCLUDING POLLEN. THESE DATA WILL BE ANALYZED USING AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO RESOLVE GENERIC LIMITS AND DETERMINE THE ACCURATE PLACEMENT OF SPECIES OF EASTERN HEMISPHERE VERNONIEAE IN AN EVOLUTIONARY FRAMEWORK. RESULTS WILL INFORM AN EXPANSIVE, FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND TOOLKIT FOR THE GLOBAL COMPOSITAE DATABASE AND ASSOCIATED TAXONOMIC RESOURCES TO FACILITATE COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT, HELP TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF TAXONOMISTS, AND ADVANCE COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE REGARDING DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION OF THESE ENIGMATIC PLANTS. ALL WORK WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL BOTANISTS AND STUDENTS TO DEVELOP LOCAL EXPERTISE AND SUPPORT A GROWING INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF TAXONOMIC EXPERTS, WHO WILL ADVANCE SHARED GOALS FOR COMPOSITAE SYSTEMATICS. 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.

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

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

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

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE, COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING, AND MISCELLANEOUS GRANTS

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.

THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL ADVANCE THE MUSEUM FIELD’S ABILITY TO IDENTIFY NEW SOLUTIONS THAT ADDRESS HIGH PRIORITY AND WIDESPREAD COLLECTIONS CARE OR CONSERVATION ISSUES IN THE BOTANIC GARDEN COMMUNITY BY EXPANDING A COLLECTIONS CONSORTIA APPROACH. THE CURRENT CONSORTIA MODEL LIMITS ACCESSIBILITY FOR SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS TO EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT CONSERVATION PROCESSES. THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD OFF OF PREVIOUS IMLS-FUNDED PROJECTS TO INCREASE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF TOOLS, FRAMEWORKS AND GUIDANCE DEVELOPED WITHIN A GARDEN CONSORTIA MODEL TO IMPROVE COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT WITHIN SMALL GARDENS. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE COORDINATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSORTIUM, CONDUCTING GENETIC ANALYSIS TO INFORM A GAP ANALYSIS, DEVELOPING AN APP FOR METACOLLECTION MANAGEMENT, AND PROVIDING ONGOING TRAINING AND OUTREACH TO EXISTING AND NEW CONSORTIUM MEMBERS. THE GARDEN WILL HIRE A COMMUNICATION CONTENT COORDINATOR TO ASSIST WITH DEVELOPING, IMPLEMENTING AND EVALUATING TRAINING MATERIALS AND WORKSHOP AGENDAS WITH THE CONSORTIA COORDINATORS. AS A RESULT, GARDENS OF ANY SIZE WILL HAVE SUPPORT, TRAINING, AND ACCESS TO TOOLS THAT WILL HELP THEM BETTER MANAGE LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS.

GENETIC STUDIES TO IMPROVE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF RARE PLANT SPECIES AND THE VEGETATION STRUCTURE OF IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS AT THE AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGESUBPROJECT 1. STUDIES ON THE RARE PLANTS OF AVON PARK AIR FORCE RANGE WE WILL COLLECT GENETIC SAMPLES AND HERBARIUM SPECIMENS, ANALYZE BOTH THE RARE SPECIES AND THEIR CLOSE RELATIVES GENETICALLY TO UNDERSTAND SPECIES LIMITS AND GENETIC DIVERSITY, AND GENERATE MANUSCRIPTS THAT WILL INCREASE OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE GLOBALLY RARE PLANT SPECIES ON APAFR. THE SAMPLES AND MANUSCRIPTS WILL SERVE AS BASELINE DATA ON THESE IMPORTANT RARE PLANT SPECIES AT THE APAFR, WHICH WILL BE USED FOR EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF COMMON EVENTS SUCH AS FREQUENT AIR TO GROUND TRAINING MISSIONS, WILDFIRES, AND THE EFFECTS OF RANGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND CLIMATE FACTORS ON THE NATIVE FLORA.SUBPROJECT 2. UNDERSTANDING VEGETATION STRUCTURE IN THE FLORIDA DRY PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM AT APAFR TO CHARACTERIZE ATTRIBUTES OF FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW HABITAT. THE WILL PROJECT WILL CLARIFY THE VEGETATION STRUCTURE OF THE FLORIDA DRY PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM AND HOW IT RESPONDS TO FIRE. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON HOW TO MANAGE THIS HABITAT, WHICH WILL HELP ENSURE THE LONG TERM VIABILITY AND REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS FOR THE FLORIDA GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.SUBPROJECT 3. CLONALITY AND HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN THE FEDERALLY THREATENED CLITORIA FRAGRANS AND WITH CLITORIA MARIANA THE GOAL OF THIS PART OF THE PROJECT IS TO INTEGRATE THE MORPHOMETRIC AND GENETIC DATA INTO A COMBINED MANUSCRIPT AND SUBMIT IT FOR PUBLICATION IN A PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL. A PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATION WOULD HAVE POTENTIAL TO INFLUENCE A CHANGE TO LISTING OF CLITORIA FRAGRANS.

PURSUIT: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ACCELERATING LINEAGE DISCOVERY TO DOCUMENT NEOTROPICAL FERN DIVERSITY

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

THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL LEAD A RESEARCH PROJECT TO ADDRESS GAPS IN GENERAL LIVING COLLECTION GUIDELINES IN ORDER TO BETTER MANAGE EX SITU SPECIES CONSERVATION IN BOTANICAL GARDENS. EX SITU SPECIES CONSERVATION IS THE MAINTENANCE OF SPECIES OUTSIDE THEIR NATIVE HABITAT IN INTENSIVELY MANAGED LIVING COLLECTIONS, AND IT IS INCREASINGLY REQUIRED TO SAFEGUARD IMPERILED PLANT SPECIES FOR FUTURE CONSERVATION OR RESTORATION. THE GARDEN WILL EMPLOY A LABORATORY SPECIALIST AND TWO POST-DOC FELLOWS TO ASSIST IN CARRYING OUT PROJECT ACTIVITIES INCLUDING SELECTION OF PLANT MATERIAL FOR STUDY, CONDUCTING SEED STRATIFICATION AND PROPAGATION OF PLANTS, MEASURING THE PHENOTYPES ON THE PLANTS AT SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT STAGES, AND EXTRACTING AND ANALYZING DNA FOR GENOTYPING. THE TEAM WILL USE THIS INFORMATION ALONG WITH SIMULATIONS TO DESIGN EX SITU COLLECTIONS THAT MAXIMIZE THE REPRESENTATION OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF VARIATION UNDER THE REAL-LIFE LIMITATIONS OF LIVING COLLECTIONS. WHILE THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON SIX PRIORITY PLANT SPECIES OF CONSERVATION CONCERN, THE RESULTING RESEARCH TOOLS WILL ENSURE THAT CONSERVATION GENETICISTS, LIVING COLLECTION MANAGERS, AND RESTORATION ECOLOGISTS CAN MORE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY MANAGE OR USE EX SITU PLANT COLLECTIONS FOR CONSERVATION.

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

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BUILDING ENHANCED SCIENTIFIC THINKING THROUGH MODELING ECOSYSTEMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ALTERNATIVE LEAF WATER USE STRATEGIES IN HOT ENVIRONMENTS -HEAT WAVES ARE IMPAIRING GLOBAL FOREST PRODUCTIVITY, ECOSYSTEM BIODIVERSITY AND CROP YIELDS. IN HOT ENVIRONMENTS WHERE LEAF FUNCTIONING IS VULNERABLE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES, PLANTS MUST COOL LEAVES TO AVOID HEAT DAMAGE. THIS COOLING MIGHT OCCUR EVEN WHEN PLANTS CANNOT PHOTOSYNTHESIZE, WHICH IS COUNTER TO THE COMMONLY UNDERSTOOD BENEFIT TO PLANTS OF USING WATER. HOWEVER, THE PREVALENCE OF THESE ALTERNATIVE WATER USE STRATEGIES REMAINS UNKNOWN, DESPITE THE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS THEY HAVE FOR UNDERSTANDING LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CARBON AND WATER CYCLES. THIS PROJECT WILL QUANTIFY ALTERNATIVE WATER USE BEHAVIOR ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF SPECIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS PRIORITIZATION OF COOLING OVER PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS COMMON. IN TURN, RESULTS WILL IMPROVE EFFORTS TO MODEL VEGETATION RESPONSES TO HEAT WAVES AND IDENTIFY SPECIES THAT ARE POTENTIALLY BEST SUITED TO COPE WITH HEAT STRESS. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAINING OF EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN MODERN PLANT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE RESEARCH. PUBLIC OUTREACH WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING AN OUTDOOR EXHIBIT FOR THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN, A PUBLIC FACILITY THAT RECEIVES APPROXIMATELY 500K VISITORS PER YEAR. THE BILINGUAL DISPLAY WILL DEMONSTRATE TO VISITORS THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND SOCIETAL COSTS OF HEAT WAVES ON PLANTS AND THE WAYS IN WHICH PLANTS REGULATE THEIR TEMPERATURES. EPISODIC HEAT WAVES THAT ARE INCREASING IN DURATION, FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WILL LIKELY AMPLIFY PLANT THERMAL STRESS AND MORTALITY. THEREFORE, PLANTS OCCURRING IN HOT ENVIRONMENTS MUST COOL LEAVES BELOW A CRITICAL THRESHOLD THAT CAN RESULT IN PERMANENT LEAF DAMAGE. CONTRARY TO STOMATAL REGULATION MODELS, TRANSPIRATION CAN ACHIEVE THIS COOLING INDEPENDENT OF CHANGES IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS WHEN CONDITIONS ARE THERMALLY STRESSFUL. RECENT STUDIES HAVE REPORTED SUCH ALTERNATIVE WATER USE STRATEGIES IN SEVERAL SPECIES, WHICH THEN DO NOT MAXIMIZE CARBON GAIN FOR A FIXED LEVEL OF STOMATAL CONDUCTANCE OR HYDRAULIC RISK. THIS PROJECT COMBINES TIGHTLY CONTROLLED LEAF GAS EXCHANGE MEASUREMENTS WITH EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION OF ENVIRONMENTS, AND A HIERARCHICAL MODELING FRAMEWORK IN ORDER TO (1) DETERMINE THE PREVALENCE OF ALTERNATIVE WATER USE STRATEGIES ACROSS A DIVERSE SET OF SPECIES, (2) DETERMINE THE TRAITS THAT BEST PREDICT THIS BEHAVIOR, (3) DEVELOP OPTIMALITY THEORY TO PREDICT UNDER WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THIS BEHAVIOR SHOULD OCCUR, AND (4) VALIDATE PREDICTIONS ALONG A BROAD DESERT ? MONTANE ELEVATION GRADIENT. RESULTS WILL ADVANCE THEORY FOR STOMATAL REGULATION, A CORE TOPIC IN THE FIELDS OF PLANT ECOLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM MODELING. IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST STANDARDIZED DATASETS FOR PLANT RESPONSES TO EXTREME ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, YIELDING A DATA RESOURCE OF HIGH VALUE TO OTHER INVESTIGATORS. THESE FINDINGS CAN THEN BE USED TO DIRECTLY INFORM A REVISED REPRESENTATION OF PLANT WATER USE IN EARTH SYSTEM MODELS. THIS REPRESENTATION WILL ULTIMATELY YIELD MORE USEFUL PREDICTIONS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS. 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.

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

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.

CSBR: LIVING STOCKS: DATABASE UPGRADE, DIGITIZATION, AND INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY OF THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN PLANT COLLECTIONS -THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN (ABG) HAS SERVED AS A LEADER IN PLANT SCIENCE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CONSERVATION FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES. THESE COLLECTIONS HOUSE 106,028 INDIVIDUAL PLANTS FROM 25,335 GENETICALLY UNIQUE ACCESSIONS REPRESENTING 12,096 TAXA (SPECIES, SUBSPECIES, AND VARIETIES) FROM 276 PLANT FAMILIES AND OVER 1,800 GENERA. MOST NOTABLY, ABG MAINTAINS THE MOST DIVERSE LIVING COLLECTION OF ORCHIDS IN THE UNITED STATES WITH 2,328 TAXA. DATA RELATED TO THESE DIVERSE PLANT COLLECTIONS ARE CURRENTLY STORED IN AN IN-HOUSE DATABASE AND ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE BY THE PUBLIC OR RESEARCHERS. THE FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UPGRADE DATA STORAGE TO A MODERN COMMERCIAL DATABASE WITH A PUBLIC INTERFACE ALLOWING VISITORS, RESEARCHERS, CONSERVATIONISTS, AND EDUCATORS TO SEARCH ABG PLANT COLLECTIONS REMOTELY OR WHILE AT THE GARDEN. THIS PROJECT WILL MAKE PLANT COLLECTIONS AT THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CONSERVATION. BOTANIC GARDENS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN BASIC PLANT RESEARCH BY PROVIDING FRESHLY COLLECTED PLANT MATERIAL TO RESEARCHERS FROM EXTENSIVE LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS FOR VERY LOW COST. IN ADDITION, A HIGHLY SKILLED STAFF OF HORTICULTURISTS MAINTAIN AND PRESERVE COLLECTIONS FULL-TIME. THE PLANT COLLECTIONS AT THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN HAVE BEEN USED IN NSF FUNDED PROJECTS AND MANY OTHER RESEARCH PROJECTS, INCLUDING GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH, AND FOR CONSERVATION PROJECTS. TO INCREASE VISIBILITY AND USE OF THE COLLECTIONS FOR RESEARCH, THIS PROJECT WILL MIGRATE THE EXISTING PLANT RECORDS DATABASE TO AN UPDATED PLATFORM WHICH WILL BE CONNECTED TO EXTERNAL DATABASES, MAKING COLLECTION DATA PUBLICLY SEARCHABLE. PRIORITY PLANT COLLECTIONS WILL BE DIGITIZED AND PERMANENTLY PLANTED PRIORITY COLLECTIONS WILL BE MAPPED. RESEARCH REQUESTS WILL BE STREAMLINED VIA CREATION OF A GOOGLE FORM. THIS WILL ENABLE COLLECTION INFORMATION TO BE SHARED WITH THE GREATER RESEARCH COMMUNITY VIA OUTREACH TO PROFESSIONAL BOTANICAL SOCIETIES AND ON THE GARDEN?S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES. WE EXPECT UTILIZATION OF THE COLLECTION TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE, ALLOWING CREATIVE AND IMPACTFUL RESEARCH TO BE UNDERTAKEN WITH PLANTS IN THE COLLECTIONS. DURING PUBLIC EVENTS SHOWCASING THE COLLECTIONS THE PUBLIC DATABASE INTERFACE WILL BE PROMOTED TO ENCOURAGE VISITORS TO EXPLORE COLLECTIONS DIGITALLY BOTH BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THEIR VISIT TO THE GARDEN. FINALLY, UNDERGRADUATE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO THE DIGITIZATION PROJECT, LEARNING PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND GIS MAPPING, WHICH ARE USEFUL AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS. 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.

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)

FRIENDS OF AMY BH GREENWELL

VAHINALA PROJECT: A CATALOGUE OF THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF MADAGASCAR

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.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ADVANCING THE EXTENDED SPECIMEN NETWORK: CURATING AND DIGITIZING THE SHERWIN CARLQUIST COLLECTION -AMONG THE NOTABLE ?SHOULDERS OF GIANTS? ON WHICH PRESENT-DAY BOTANISTS STAND ARE THOSE OF DR. SHERWIN CARLQUIST (1930?2021). CARLQUIST LEAVES BEHIND A RICH LEGACY AND SIGNIFICANT COLLECTIONS RESULTING FROM OVER 30 YEARS OF IMPORTANT BOTANICAL RESEARCH. OVER THE COURSE OF HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER, CARLQUIST PUBLISHED PROLIFICALLY, WITH OVER 300 RESEARCH PAPERS COVERING SUCH TOPICS AS PLANT ANATOMY AND SYSTEMATICS, EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOLOGICAL THEORY, FLOWER DEVELOPMENT, MORPHOLOGY, ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND TAXONOMY. AS A RESEARCHER, CARLQUIST CONSIDERED THE BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS WITHIN AN ENVIRONMENT AS COMPRISING A DYNAMIC NETWORK. THIS NETWORK INFORMED HIS METHOD FOR COLLECTING SPECIMENS AND THE RICH ARRAY OF MATERIALS AND RECORDS HE GENERATED THROUGH THAT PRACTICE. THE CARLQUIST COLLECTION, HOUSED AT THE CALIFORNIA BOTANIC GARDEN HERBARIUM (RSA) AND THE BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS LIBRARY (BRIT), COLLECTIVELY CONTAINS 191,789 OBJECTS, INCLUDING HERBARIUM SPECIMENS, WOOD SPECIMENS, PLANT MATERIAL PRESERVED IN SPIRITS, WOOD ANATOMY MICROSCOPE SLIDES, FIELD PHOTOGRAPH TRANSPARENCY SLIDES, BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS, AND FIELD COLLECTION NOTEBOOKS. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE CARLQUIST COLLECTION HAS NEVER BEEN CURATED OR DIGITIZED, MAKING MUCH OF THE COLLECTION INACCESSIBLE. FURTHER, SOME OF THE COLLECTION MATERIALS HAVE FACED VARYING DEGREES OF DETERIORATION OWING TO INADEQUATE HOUSING IN NON-ARCHIVAL MATERIALS. IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN RSA AND BRIT, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO CURATE AND DIGITIZE THESE IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED DATA TO PROVIDE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION AND TO CREATE AN EXTENDED SPECIMEN NETWORK (ESN), WHEREIN CARLQUIST?S SPECIMENS, FIELD PHOTOGRAPHS, AND COLLECTION NOTEBOOKS WILL BE LINKED TO FORM AN AGGREGATED COLLECTION, THUS CREATING LIMITLESS ADDITIONAL PREPARATIONS AND DIGITAL RESOURCES. THE PROJECT WILL FACILITATE IMMEDIATE APPLICATION TO A SUITE OF RESEARCH AREAS, INCLUDING SYSTEMATIC, WOOD ANATOMY, ECOLOGY, BIOGEOGRAPHY, ISLAND BIOLOGY, PHENOLOGY, PLANT CONSERVATION, HISTORY OF SCIENCE, PLANT HUMANITIES, AND ARCHIVAL THEORY AND PRACTICES. THE CARLQUIST COLLECTION WILL BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE VIA ONLINE DATA PORTALS. HELD AT THE HERBARIUM AT CALIFORNIA BOTANIC GARDEN (RSA) AND THE LIBRARY AT THE BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS (BRIT), THE SHERWIN CARLQUIST COLLECTION ENCOMPASSES MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF BOTANICAL FIELD RESEARCH COMPRISING 30,770 BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS AND 161,019 ARCHIVAL OBJECTS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO (1) CURATE THE CARLQUIST COLLECTION FOR LONG-TERM PRESERVATION; (2) DIGITIZE AND MOBILIZE DATA FOR ALL COLLECTIONS MATERIALS HELD AT BOTH INSTITUTIONS; (3) LINK TRANSCRIBED COLLECTION INFORMATION, IMAGES, AND METADATA ACROSS ALL BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVAL OBJECTS; AND (4) PUBLISH AND MAKE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AS AN AGGREGATED COLLECTION THROUGH ONLINE DATA PORTALS, INCLUDING IDIGBIO AND GBIF. THIS PROJECT REPRESENTS A UNIQUE COLLABORATIVE AND INTERDISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES TO CREATE ONE OF THE FIRST EXTENDED SPECIMEN NETWORKS (ESN) FOR A RENOWNED AMERICAN BOTANIST AND SERVES MORE BROADLY TO ESTABLISH A NEW PARADIGM FOR HOW NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES COMMUNITIES ENVISION, IMPLEMENT, AND UTILIZE ESN?S WITHIN AND AMONG THEIR COLLECTIONS. INTEGRAL TO THE PROJECT ARE THE ACTIVITIES THAT INVOLVE PARTICIPATION FROM STUDENTS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN THEIR ACADEMIC CAREER. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR UNDERSERVED YOUTH AND EMERGING PROFESSIONALS IN A FIELD THAT WILL GREATLY BENEFIT FROM THEIR PARTICIPATION. A WORKSHOP AND SYMPOSIUM ON ESN DEVELOPMENT ARE PLANNED FOR THE SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS ANNUAL CONFERENCE TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND RESOURCES TO THE COLLECTIONS COMMUNITY. PAIRED EXHIBITS FOR THE PUBLIC AND HOSTED AT EACH INSTITUTION WILL HIGHLIGHT THE PROJECT. 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.

THIS ACTION APPROVES AN AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $501,464 TO ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO ENHANCE LAND PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION IN PRIORITY LANDSCAPES OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. THIS PROJECT WILL TEST VARIOUS NOVEL VEGETATION REMOVAL AND RESTORATION METHODS IN COASTAL WETLANDS TO DETERMINE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON HYDROLOGIC AND NUTRIENT PARAMETERS IN SOIL, GROUNDWATER, AND STREAM WATER. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE THE RESTORATION OF 12.6 ACRES OF WETLANDS ALONG WITH IMPROVEMENTS TO WATER QUALITY, HABITAT, AND WATER QUANTITY. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES WILL BE THE COMMUNITIES NEAR DEER LAKE STATE PARK IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM ENHANCED LAND PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION. THE RECIPIENT PLANS TO SUB-AWARD FUNDS TO PERFORM WATER QUALITY TESTING.

CONG. SETASIDES, MUSEUMS

DESCRIPTION:THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING TO QUAIL BOTANICAL GARDENS FOUNDATION, INC. SPECIFICALLY, THE RECIPIENT WILL CREATE AND STRENGTHEN A PARTNERSHIP OF TRIBAL GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY-BASED NON-PROFIT, ACADEMIC, AND INDUSTRY GROUPS TO SUPPORT THE FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF JAMUL AND VIEJAS BANDS OF KUMEYAAY AND PALA BAND OF LUISENTILDE;O MISSION INDIANS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA IN THEIR ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, DROUGHT, AND WILDFIRE, ESPECIALLY PERTAINING TO PLANTS OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, TRIBAL HEALTH, AND WELLBEING. THE PARTNERSHIP WILL CONVENE A TRIBAL WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP A CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND DATA SOVEREIGNTY AGREEMENT TO PROTECT INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AND FACILITATE KNOWLEDGE SHARING, WITH FOCUS ON CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT PLANTS OF EACH TRIBAL PARTNER THAT NEED PROTECTION, CONSERVATION, RESTORATION, AND/OR PROPAGATION. WITH THEIR TRIBAL PARTNERS, THEY WILL BUILD CAPACITY, EDUCATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS; EVALUATE CHANGING OCCURRENCE DISTRIBUTIONS FOR THE CULTURALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS; CONDUCT RESPONSIBLE SOCIAL PLANT SURVEYS AND COLLECTIONS; DEVELOP SEED BANKS AND GARDENS OR GREENHOUSES IN THE TRIBAL COMMUNITY; AND PROPAGATE CRITICALLY NEEDED PLANTS. THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FULL FEDERAL FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $500,000. PRE-AWARD COSTS ARE APPROVED BACK TO 6/1/2024.ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND OUTREACH, DEVELOPING A TRIBAL WORKING GROUP TO CREATE A CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND DATA SOVEREIGNTY AGREEMENT, NATIVE PLANT SEED BANKING AND PROPAGATION, AND PLANNING, BUILDING CAPACITY FOR AND CONDUCTING HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECTS.SUBRECIPIENT:JAMUL INDIAN VILLAGE OF CALIFORNIA A KUMEYAAY NATION, PALA BAND OF MISSION INDIANS AND VIEJAS TRIBAL GOVERNMENT: THESE GROUPS PARTICIPATE IN TRIBAL WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP A CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND DATA SOVEREIGNTY AGREEMENT IN THIS PROJECT. TRIBAL REPRESENTATIVES (E.G. TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER, EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DIRECTOR) WILL WORK TO IDENTIFY THE MOST PERTINENT PROJECT ACTIVITIES FOR THE COMMUNITIES, AND THE PLANTS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO THEIR PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND DROUGHT, WILDFIRE AND OTHER DISASTERS. FLOWER HILL INSTITUTE: THEIR ROLE IN THE PROJECT WILL BE ADVISORY IN CONSENSUS BUILDING AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION, FACILITATIVE IN THE TRIBAL WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP A DATA SOVEREIGNTY AGREEMENT, AND PARTICIPATORY IN THE COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING AND SUMMATIVE PROJECT EVALUATION FOR REPLICATION. COASTAL ROOTS FARM: THIS GROUP WILL SHARE SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE IN PLANNING AND BUILDING COMMUNITY GARDENS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, ESPECIALLY WITH AND AT THE REQUEST OF TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS INCLUDING CAMPO INDIAN RESERVATION, LA JOLLA, LA POSTA, SAN PASQUAL, AND SANTA YSABEL RESERVATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE PARTNERSHIP IS TO BUILD ON THEIR PREVIOUS SUCCESSES AND HELP THE PARTNERSHIP TO AVOID OR MORE EASILY OVERCOME THEIR PREVIOUS CHALLENGES. THIS GROUP WILL BE IN A FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIP AS A PARTNER THROUGH SUBAWARD TO HELP PLAN AND CONSTRUCT COMMUNITY GARDENS REQUESTED BY THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. THIS GROUP ALSO HAS EXPERIENCE WITH PROPAGATING NATIVE PLANTS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND OUTREACH, AND WITH NAVIGATING WORKING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CBOS, INDUSTRY, AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS THAT WILL BE INVALUABLE IN THE PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF THE PARTNERSHIP. OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE 9 EVENTS WITH PARTNERS FOR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, 300 COMMUNITY MEMBERS REACHED BY PROGRAMS, TRIBAL CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND DATA SOVEREIGNTY AGREEMENT MADE. NATIVE PLANT RANGES OBSERVED, NATIVE PLANT SEEDS COLLECTED, NATIVE PLANTS PROPAGATED, UP TO 3 COMMUNITY GARDENS DESIGNED AND BUILT, AND UP TO 3 HABITAT AREAS RESTORED, THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE AN INCREASE IN NUMBER OF LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTED TO REPLICATE PROJECT TO INCLUDE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT NON-PARTNER, INCREASE

HOST PLANT ALLOCATION STRATEGIES AND MORTALITY IN RESPONSE TO A SPECIALIST HERBIVORE

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.

A GREENER HERBARIUM FOR THE BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS HERBARIUM (BRIT-SMU-VDB): COMPACTORIZATION FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

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

GREEN CORPS URBAN YOUTH PROGRAM

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

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

RESTORING PHIPPS LANDMARK: GROWING PLANT-BASED HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE PROGRAMMING [TO GROW PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS FOR INNOVATIVE PLANT-FOCUSED HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES PROGRAMMING BY RESTORING PRIZED EXHIBITORY SPACE.]

UNDERSTANDING THE SPATIAL PATTERNS OF DIVERSITY OF MONTANE FORESTS IN NORTHERN BOLIVIA

THE BOTANY AND ECOLOGY OF LOS AMIGOS, PERU: EXPANDED EXPLORATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF OLD AND NEW DATASETS FOR A LOWLAND NEOTROPICAL FLORA IN MADRE D

COASTAL FOREST PLANT DIVERSITY IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

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

IRES: UNDERSTANDING POLLINATOR-MEDIATED DIVERSIFICATION IN NEOTROPICAL PLANTS -FLORAL SCENTS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE ATTRACTION OF SPECIFIC INSECT POLLINATORS, ESPECIALLY IN TROPICAL FORESTS, WHERE MANY PLANT SPECIES OFTEN COEXIST AND FLOWER SIMULTANEOUSLY. HOWEVER, COMPREHENSIVE STUDIES OF FLORAL SCENTS ACROSS MANY TROPICAL PLANT SPECIES AND THEIR INSECT POLLINATORS ARE SCARCE. THIS IRES PROGRAM PROVIDES U.S. UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN COLLABORATIVE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH IN COLOMBIA WHILE ADDRESSING KEY QUESTIONS IN TROPICAL POLLINATION BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY. STUDENTS RECEIVE MENTORSHIP AND TRAINING FROM RESEARCHERS AT FOUR COLOMBIAN UNIVERSITIES, THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN AND CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY. THIS PROGRAM INCREASES ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR U.S. STUDENTS, INSPIRES STUDENTS? INTEREST IN PURSUING SCIENCE CAREERS AND TRAINS THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL SCIENTISTS. FINDINGS FROM STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS CONTRIBUTE TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FLORAL SCENT PREFERENCES OF INSECT POLLINATORS INFLUENCE TROPICAL PLANTS COEXISTENCE AND DIVERSIFICATION. INSECT POLLINATORS EXHIBIT PREFERENCES FOR DISTINCT FLORAL SCENTS, OFTEN SPECIALIZING ON A SUBSET OF AVAILABLE FLOWERS. IN TROPICAL FORESTS, WHERE MANY SPECIES COEXIST AND FLOWER SIMULTANEOUSLY, EVEN SUBTLE DIFFERENCES IN FLORAL SCENTS CAN ENHANCE POLLINATOR CONSTANCY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE FORMATION OF REPRODUCTIVE BARRIERS. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES HOW POLLINATOR SPECIALIZATION, THROUGH FLORAL SCENT PREFERENCES, INFLUENCES ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS AMONG COEXISTING SPECIES AND SHAPES DIVERSIFICATION PATTERNS IN TROPICAL PLANTS, USING THE GENUS ANTHURIUM AS A STUDY SYSTEM. THIS IRES PROGRAM PROVIDES A HIGH-QUALITY INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE TO COHORTS OF SIX U.S. STUDENTS EACH YEAR. EACH STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN THREE PROGRAM ELEMENTS, A VIRTUAL PRE-DEPARTURE PROGRAM FOCUSED ON PREPARATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND RESEARCH, AN EIGHT-WEEK INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN COLOMBIA WHERE STUDENTS TAKE PART IN TRAINING BOOTCAMPS AND PERFORM DATA COLLECTION IN FIELD SITES, AND A VIRTUAL POST-TRAVEL PROGRAM FOCUSED ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, AND RESEARCH DISSEMINATION. STUDENTS RECEIVE MENTORSHIP AND TRAINING FROM RESEARCHERS AT FOUR COLOMBIAN UNIVERSITIES AND U.S.-BASED RESEARCHERS AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN AND CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY. EACH COLOMBIAN RESEARCHER SUPERVISES AND MENTORS ONE TO TWO STUDENTS PER YEAR. RESULTS FROM STUDENT PROJECTS HELP IN UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF FLORAL SCENTS IN ATTRACTING, MAINTAINING FIDELITY, AND ENSURING SPECIFICITY OF INSECT POLLINATORS, AS WELL AS DEMONSTRATE HOW ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TROPICAL PLANTS AND THEIR POLLINATORS CAN TRANSLATE INTO DISTINCTIVE PATTERNS OF DIVERSIFICATION. THESE RESULTS ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS IN TROPICAL PLANT POLLINATION BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY, WITH POTENTIAL PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE ANTHURIUM HORTICULTURAL INDUSTRY. THIS PROGRAM AIMS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, INCREASE STUDENT INTEREST IN PURSUING SCIENCE CAREERS BY PROMOTING ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PREPAREDNESS, AND TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL SCIENTISTS. 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 PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

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

TAXONOMIC REVISION AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF CONTINENTAL AFRICAN ANGRAECOID ORCHIDACEAE

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS - MUSEUMS

THE PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS WILL DEVELOP A CLIMATE EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR TOOLS THAT EMPOWER CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE WILD CENTER AND A TEAM OF ADVISORS, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL SELECT TWO COHORTS, EACH COMPRISED OF THREE STAFF FROM FIVE MUSEUMS, TO PARTICIPATE IN A YEAR-LONG PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM INCLUDING A TWO-DAY IN-PERSON RETREAT, MONTHLY VIRTUAL MEETINGS, AND TEAM WORK ON STRATEGIC INITIATIVES TO IMPLEMENT IN THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITIES. HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN CLIMATE ACTION AT PHIPPS AND THE WILD CENTER WILL SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE ABOUT INVOLVING YOUTH IN CLIMATE ACTION BY PARTICIPATING IN THE RETREAT AND COHORT MEETINGS. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN A SUITE OF RESOURCES, A CROSS-SECTOR NETWORK OF MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS AND INSTITUTIONS ACCELERATING CLIMATE ACTION, AND A REPLICABLE MODEL OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT CAN BE WIDELY USED, ADAPTED AND SCALED BY MUSEUMS ACROSS THE FIELD.

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.

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

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: MRA: STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVING CLIMATE CHANGE AND INVASIVE SPECIES: INTEGRATING MULTI-SCALE REMOTE SENSING AND EXPERIMENTAL COMMON GARDENS

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

THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL WORK WITH THE FWS AND OTHER SE PCA PARTNERS TO INCREASE CAPACITY FOR RARE PLANT RECOVERY. THIS INCLUDES THE CONTINUATION OF 4 PILOT PROJECTS AND THE INITIATION OF 6 NEW PROJECTS FOR SPECIES PRIORITIZED THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH REGIONAL LEADS IN 2021. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ADDRESS RECOVERY ACTIONS AND TO ENHANCE THE SE PCA NETWORK WHILE LEVERAGING FINANCES AND RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. FUNDING IS REQUESTED TO SUPPORT NEXT-STEP RECOVERY ACTIONS FOR VARRONIA RUPICOLA, PLATANTHERA INTEGRILABIA, RIBES ECHINELLUM, AND SCHWALBEA AMERICANA. PILOT PROJECT SUPPORT IS REQUESTED FOR OXYPOLIS CANBYI, LINUM ARENICOLA, HELIANTHUS SCHWEINITZII, EUPHORBIA TELEPHIOIDES, AND POLYGONELLA BASIRAMIA.

ECO-EVOLUTIONARY FORCES RESPONSIBLE FOR PATTERNS OF MICRO-ENDEMISM IN AN ISLAND BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT -BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS ARE PLACES WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF SPECIES FOUND NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD (I.E., ?ENDEMIC? SPECIES) THAT ARE THREATENED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES. THE PROCESSES THAT GENERATE UNIQUE CONCENTRATIONS OF SPECIES REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. MADAGASCAR EXEMPLIFIES BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS: IT IS HOME TO AN EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF SPECIES RESTRICTED TO SMALL, LOCALIZED AREAS ON THIS INDIAN OCEAN ISLAND. THIS PROJECT WILL TEST THREE POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS OF HOW THESE BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS FORMED IN MEMBERS OF THE TREE GENUS DIOSPYROS (THE SOURCE OF VALUABLE EBONY WOOD) BY EXAMINING THEIR EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS AND CALCULATING HOW SENSITIVE A SPECIES IS TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THESE PROCESSES WILL HELP EXPLAIN WHY SOME PARTS OF THE WORLD HAVE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH LEVELS OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, WHY SO MANY SPECIES ONLY OCCUR IN VERY LIMITED AREAS, AND HOW WE CAN BETTER CONSERVE THEM. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO GRADUATE STUDENTS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, GIVING THEM FOUNDATIONAL TOOLS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE AND DEVELOP INTO FUTURE LEADERS IN STEM FIELDS. THIS RESEARCH WILL LEVERAGE EXISTING DNA BANK MATERIAL AND CONDUCT TARGETED FIELD SAMPLING TO GENERATE A ROBUST, TIME-CALIBRATED PHYLOGENY OF DIOSPYROS (EBENACEAE) FROM MADAGASCAR AND SURROUNDING REGIONS USING THE ANGIOSPERM 353 TARGET ENRICHMENT PROBE SET. THE RESULTING PHYLOGENY WILL BE USED TO: 1) DETERMINE THE BIOGEOGRAPHIC ORIGINS OF MALAGASY DIOSPYROS, 2) PRODUCE A UNIFYING TAXONOMIC FRAMEWORK FOR ALL MALAGASY DIOSPYROS SPECIES ALONG WITH PRACTICAL, INTERACTIVE DIGITAL IDENTIFICATION TOOLS, AND 3) CONDUCT THE VERY FIRST HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON OF THREE COMPETING HYPOTHESES OF ISLAND BIODIVERSITY AND MICROENDEMISM ON MADAGASCAR. SPECIFICALLY, RESEARCHERS WILL ASSESS SUPPORT FOR THESE HYPOTHESES BY: 1) QUANTIFYING SPECIES NICHE BREADTH USING NOVEL PHYLOGENETICALLY-INFORMED SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS, 2) CONDUCTING PHYLO-SPATIAL TESTS OF ENDEMISM AND PHYLOGENETIC TURNOVER, AND 3) EXAMINING PATTERNS OF NICHE CONSERVATISM AND SHIFTS IN THE RATE OF DIVERSIFICATION THROUGH TIME. THE PROJECT WILL ENRICH HERBARIUM COLLECTIONS AND CONTRIBUTE SEQUENCE DATA TO GENOMIC DATA REPOSITORIES, FACILITATING FUTURE SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH ON EBENACEAE, AND WILL PROVIDE A MODEL FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING SPECIES DIVERSIFICATION IN OTHER SPECIOSE, TROPICAL GROUPS AND ELUCIDATING HOW DISTRIBUTIONS MAY BE IMPACTED UNDER FUTURE SCENARIOS. 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.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO PERFORM A SERIES OF COLLECTIONS, EX SITU STUDIES, TRANSPLANTING AND MONITORING TO CONSERVE AND AUGMENT SCLEROCACTUS SPECIES IN THE SOUTHWEST THE WORK WILL FIRST PROJECT 1 FOCUS ON THE LISTED MESA VERDE CACTUS SCLEROCACTUS MESAE VERDAE MESA VERDE CACTUS HAVE FACED DRASTIC DECLINES OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES THERE IS AGREEMENT AMONG PARTNERS IN NEW MEXICO STATE, THE NAVAJO NATION, THE UTE MOUNTAIN UTE TRIBE, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT MORE MUST BE DONE TO HELP THIS SPECIES RECOVER AND NOT FACE FURTHER DECLINES DBG WILL MAKE MULTIPLE TRIPS TO COLLECT SEEDS, PLANTS AND SOIL FROM ENDEMIC POPULATIONS IN NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO TO BE BROUGHT TO THE HAZEL HARE CENTER FOR PLANT SCIENCE AT DBG DBG WILL BANK SEEDS TO PRESERVE GENETIC DIVERSITY, PERFORM GERMINATION TRIALS ON MESA VERDE CACTUS SEEDS AND GROW PLANTS IN THE GREENHOUSE FROM THESE SEEDS WHOLE LIVE PLANTS WILL BE USED FOR SEED AMPLIFICATION AND TO SERVE AS COMPARISONS TO PLANTS LEFT IN NATURAL POPULATIONS PLANTS AND SEEDS PRODUCED AT DBG WOULD BE USED TO AUGMENT CURRENT POPULATIONS, WITH MONITORING TO DETERMINE EFFECTIVENESS DBG COULD ALSO PERFORM FUTURE WORK TO BENEFIT BLM AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IF FUNDING ALLOWS FOR PROJECT 2, DBG WOULD GATHER MORE INFORMATION AND MATERIAL FOR THE CONSERVATION OF S MESAE VERDAE, INCLUDING SCOUTING FOR ADDITIONAL POPULATIONS, SOIL ANALYSIS, AND COLLECTING SEEDS ON DIFFERENT TEMPORAL GRADIENTS THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING AND PRESERVATION OF THE MESA VERDE CACTUS THAT WOULD LIKELY MAKE THE AUGMENTATION MORE SUCCESSFUL FOR PROJECT 3, DBG WOULD PERFORM SIMILAR ANALYSES AS PROJECT 1, BUT ON CLOVER S CACTUS S CLOVERAE THIS SPECIES IS NOT CURRENTLY THREATENED, BUT IS OF CONSERVATION CONCERN AND IS OFTEN USED IN RESTORATION PROJECTS MANAGED BY BLM AND OTHER FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES BY GATHERING SIMILAR INFORMATION ON CLOVER S CACTUS, THESE RESTORATIONS AND POPULATION AUGMENTATIONS WOULD BE MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL FOR PROJECT 4, DBG WOULD TEST MICROPROPAGATION OF MESA VERDE CACTUS THIS TECHNIQUE IS BEING USED TO PROPAGATE ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES BECAUSE IT ONLY REQUIRES A SMALL AMOUNT OF TISSUE IF TRIALS ARE SUCCESSFUL, THIS WOULD BE A LESS INVASIVE WAY OF PROPAGATING MESA VERDE CACTUS FOR OUTPLANTING INFORMATION IN ALL PROJECTS WILL LEAD TO A WELL RESEARCHED PROTOCOL FOR POPULATION AUGMENTATION INFORMATION WOULD BE FREELY SHARED WITH ANYONE WORKING ON SCLEROCACTUS CONSERVATION THIS WORK WILL BENEFIT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, BLM AND TRIBAL PARTNERS THROUGH PRESERVATION OF A LISTED THREATENED SPECIES THE PROPOSED WORK WOULD BENEFIT THE PUBLIC BY WORKING TO CONSERVE RARE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES RARE PLANTS, LIKE SCLEROCACTUS, CAN FACE HUGE CONSERVATION CHALLENGES AND CONTINUED THREATS THEY CAN ALSO BE KEY SPECIES IN SUPPORTING THE ECOSYSTEM THIS PROJECT WILL CARRY OUT THE WORK TO CONSERVE THESE SPECIES SO THAT THEY WILL BE AROUND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME FOR BLM, THIS PROJECT WILL MEET THE ADMINISTRATION S PRIORITIES OF STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIP WITH SOVEREIGN TRIBAL NATIONS, WORKING TO CONSERVE AT LEAST 30 EACH OF OUR LANDS AND WATERS BY THE YEAR 2030, AND ECONOMIC RELIEF RELATED TO THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC

HOMEGROWN: EDIBLE GARDEN INSTALLATION

(RCN-UBE) OPEN SCIENCE: AN EDUCATION NETWORK IN ETHNOBIOLOGY TO COORDINATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW CULTURE IN THE UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE CLASSROOM

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

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LANDSCAPE GENETIC CONNECTIVITY OF A FOUNDATION TREE SPECIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES FACING CLIMATE CHANGE AND

LIMAHULI VALLEY FOREST RESTORATION

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

PURSUIT: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ACCELERATING LINEAGE DISCOVERY TO DOCUMENT NEOTROPICAL FERN DIVERSITY -UNDERSTANDING THE DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES ON EARTH IS IMPORTANT FOR MANY REASONS, BUT THE PROCESS OF DOCUMENTING AND DESCRIBING BIODIVERSITY OFTEN CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE RATE OF HABITAT LOSS AND THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN TROPICAL REGIONS OF THE WORLD, WHERE THE NUMBER OF UNDESCRIBED AND POORLY KNOWN SPECIES IS HIGHEST AND BIODIVERSITY IS MOST SEVERELY THREATENED. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO CONTRIBUTE TO DOCUMENTATION OF EARTH?S PLANT DIVERSITY BY STUDYING THE DIVERSITY OF FERNS IN COLOMBIA, ONE OF THE MOST SPECIES-RICH COUNTRIES ON EARTH. IN THIS WORK, THE RESEARCHERS WILL DOCUMENT FERN DIVERSITY BY CONDUCTING SURVEYS IN REMOTE PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE BEEN POORLY EXPLORED BY SCIENTISTS, AS WELL AS STUDYING SPECIMENS OF FERNS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY FERN SPECIES EXIST IN COLOMBIA, WHERE THEY OCCUR, AND HOW MANY OF THEM ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO RESULT IN THE DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES THAT ARE NEW TO SCIENCE AND PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE ORIGINS OF PLANT DIVERSITY BY RECONSTRUCTING THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF FERNS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF DNA SEQUENCES. AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION OF THIS WORK WILL BE THE CREATION OF A FREELY ACCESSIBLE ONLINE DATABASE THAT WILL ORGANIZE DATA ON FERNS IN COLOMBIA AND HELP FUTURE RESEARCHERS TO STUDY THESE PLANTS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR TWO GRADUATE STUDENTS AND MORE THAN A DOZEN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND WILL IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION. FINDINGS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS, FREELY AVAILABLE ONLINE VIDEOS, AND DISPLAYS AT A BOTANICAL GARDEN IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS RESEARCH WILL DOCUMENT DIVERSITY OF FERNS IN COLOMBIA THROUGH A UNIFIED TAXONOMIC AND EVOLUTIONARY CONTEXT USING A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH. FIRST, GAPS IN THE CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF SPECIES DISTRIBUTIONS IN COLOMBIA WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH FIELD EXPEDITIONS TO UNDERSTUDIED REGIONS OF COLOMBIA THAT ARE PREDICTED TO HARBOR HIGH LEVELS OF FERN DIVERSITY, COMPLEMENTED BY TARGETED STUDY OF HERBARIUM SPECIMENS AT MAJOR HERBARIA. SECOND, IN ORDER TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY OF DATA ON COLOMBIA FERNS, RESOURCES FOR AN EXISTING ONLINE DATABASE WILL BE BOLSTERED, PRODUCING A DATA-RICH, PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, SPECIMEN-DRIVEN TAXONOMIC RESOURCE FOR FERN DIVERSITY RESEARCH IN THE AMERICAN TROPICS. THIS RESOURCE WILL INCLUDE A SEARCHABLE SPECIMEN DATABASE, MULTI-ENTRY KEYS TO FAMILIES AND GENERA, AND SPECIMEN-DRIVEN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL CHECKLISTS. THIRD, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND COLOMBIAN FERN DIVERSITY WITHIN AN EVOLUTIONARY CONTEXT, GENOMIC RESOURCES WILL BE GENERATED FOR ALL FERN SPECIES IN COLOMBIA, INCLUDING A DNA AND LEAF-TISSUE BANK FOR ALL COLLECTIONS, PLOIDY ESTIMATES, AND TARGET CAPTURE SEQUENCE DATA TO CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE PHYLOGENOMIC ANALYSES. FINALLY, THESE DATA WILL BE INTEGRATED TO DETECT AND DESCRIBE YET-OVERLOOKED DIVERSITY, INCLUDING COMPLETE TAXONOMIC TREATMENTS FOR FOUR PROMINENT AND COMPLEX GENERA. 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.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS - MUSEUMS

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

THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO ENHANCE THE NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDENS (NTBG) CAPACITY TO GROW FERNS IN SUPPORT OF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION EFFORTS ACROSS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LANDS ACROSS THE ISLAND OF KAUAI. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH NURSERY FACILITY UPGRADES, COLLECTION OF FERN SPORES FROM THE WILD, PROPAGATION OF THOSE FERNS IN AN UPGRADED GROWING FACILITY, AND ULTIMATELY OUT-PLANTING THOSE NEW YOUNG FERNS AGAIN AS PART OF RESTORATION PROJECTS. FERNS MAKE UP 27.4 PERCENT, OR MORE THAN A QUARTER, OF HAWAIIS NATIVE FLORA, MAKING THEM VITAL TO CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND RESTORATION PROJECTS. WE DEPEND ON FERNS IN OUR ECOSYSTEM BECAUSE THEY REMOVE HEAVY METALS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT, REHABILITATE DISTURBED AREAS, AND PROVIDE MICROHABITATS FOR ANIMALS AND PLANTS. A SUCCESSFUL ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION MUST INCORPORATE EXTENSIVE USE OF FERNS. NATIVE HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTITIONERS AS WELL AS BIOLOGISTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS. WE KNOW THEY ARE VITAL TO ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION IN NATIVE FORESTS AND PLAY A WIDE VARIETY OF ECOLOGICAL ROLES. ALTOGETHER THERE ARE 159 NATIVE SPECIES OF FERNS AND LYCOPHYTES IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. ABOUT 74 PERCENT ARE CONSIDERED ENDEMIC (FOUND ONLY IN HAWAII). THE GREATEST NUMBER OF ENDEMIC FERN TAXA ARE FOUND ON KAUAI AND MAUI. THERE ARE 17 SINGLE-ISLAND KAUAI ENDEMICS, MEANING THOSE SPECIES EXIST ONLY ON KAUAI, AND SIX MORE THAT ARE TWO-ISLAND ENDEMICS, EXISTING ONLY ON KAUAI AND ONE OTHER ISLAND. NTBG, A NON-PROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION WITH THREE GARDENS AND TWO PRESERVES ON KAUAI, OPERATES A FERN PROPAGATION LAB, THE ONLY SUCH FACILITY IN HAWAII. THE PURPOSE OF THE LAB IS TO GROW FERNS FROM SPORES IN ORDER TO ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS, TO IMPROVE FERNS ABILITY TO WITHSTAND DISEASE AND PESTS, AND TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE. WITH NTBGS 60 YEARS OF TROPICAL-PLANT CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE, AND 16 YEARS OF FERN PROPAGATION RESEARCH, NTBG IS A LEADER IN HAWAIIAN FERN PROPAGATION. KAUAIS NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS HAVE BEEN HIGHLY IMPACTED BY INVASIVE SPECIES. THE STRIPPING AWAY OF NATIVE GROUNDCOVERS SUCH AS FERNS HAS LED TO HIGHER LEVELS OF EROSION AND DEGRADATION OF THE FOREST. SOME OF THE THREATS THAT FERNS FACE IS COMPETITION FROM INVASIVE PLANTS, FIRES, TRAMPLING AND PREDATION BY INTRODUCED UNGULATES. THEY ALSO ARE VULNERABLE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE SHIFTING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. MANY FERN SPECIES CAN BE PROPAGATED ONLY FROM SPORES, A COMPLEX PROCESS THAT TAKES TIME. SOME NATIVE SPECIES CAN BE PROPAGATED BY DIVISION, BUT THIS CREATES ONLY CLONES THAT LACK GENETIC DIVERSITY, MAKING THEM MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PATHOGENS AND LESS ADAPTABLE. WITH THE FERN LAB AT NTBG, WE CREATE A PLACE AND A MEANS FOR SYSTEMATIC PROPAGATION OF HEALTHY GENETICALLY BIODIVERSE FERN SPECIES THAT CAN BE OUT-PLANTED IN PRESERVES, GARDENS AND OTHER ECOSYSTEMS TO KEEP KAUAI S (AND HAWAII S) FERN POPULATIONS HEALTHY AND ABUNDANT. WE PROPOSE TO PROPAGATE AND OUTPLANT 800-1,000 FERNS DURING THE GRANT PERIOD. PROPOSED CAPACITY IMPROVEMENTS ALSO POSITION NTBG TO CONTINUE PROPAGATING FERNS IN SUPPORT OF RESTORATION PROJECTS AT THE SAME OR GREATER RATES BEYOND THE GRANT PERIOD.

FIGHTING EXTINCTION OF TORREYA TAXIFOLIA THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

CIG PROJECT TO PERFORM, ASSESS, AND PROVIDE TECHNICAL RECOMMNDATIONS FOR INCORPORATING REVEGETATING CHALLENGING CRITICAL AREAS USING DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN NRCS TECHNICAL MATERIALS.

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.

REU SITE: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN PLANT SYSTEMATICS, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, AND ETHNOBOTANY AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

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)

REU SITE: BOTANY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY RESEARCH AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN -THIS REU SITE AWARD TO THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN (MBG), LOCATED IN ST. LOUIS, MO, WILL SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF 10 STUDENTS EACH YEAR FOR 10 WEEKS DURING THE SUMMERS OF 2023-2025. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A TOTAL OF 30 STUDENTS, PRIMARILY FROM SCHOOLS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES OR FROM AN UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUP, WILL BE TRAINED IN THE PROGRAM. MBG IS ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN THE US, WITH SPECIAL STRENGTHS IN PLANT CONSERVATION AND TAXONOMY, OFFERING UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN RESEARCH OF PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE. STUDENTS WILL LEARN HOW RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED AND MANY WILL CO-AUTHOR ARTICLES IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. MENTORS WILL BENEFIT BY DEVELOPING MENTORSHIP SKILLS THROUGH FORMAL TRAINING AND HANDS-ON OPPORTUNITIES TO MENTOR STUDENTS. STUDENTS? EXPERIENCES AND LASTING BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE ASSESSED THROUGH THE ONLINE SALG URSSA TOOL AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP TO DETERMINE THEIR CAREER PATHS. STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO REGISTER THEIR PARTICIPATION ON THE NSF?S ETAP SYSTEM. THIS REU SITE WILL FOCUS ON BOTANY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY. MENTORS FROM THROUGHOUT MBG?S SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION DIVISION WILL PARTICIPATE, OFFERING PROJECTS IN PLANT ECOLOGY, RESTORATION ECOLOGY, TAXONOMY AND SYSTEMATICS, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND GENETICS, ETHNOBOTANY, AND POLLINATION BIOLOGY. AT PRESENT, STUDENTS APPLY BY EMAILING AN APPLICATION FORM AND OTHER MATERIALS; IN FUTURE, THE ETAP SYSTEM WILL BE USED TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS. CANDIDATES WILL BE SELECTED BY A COMMITTEE INCLUDING THE PI AND CO-PI, WITH INPUT FROM MENTORS. STUDENTS WILL WORK ON INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECTS, ATTEND WEEKLY SEMINARS, AND PARTICIPATE IN GROUP EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS, CONCLUDING BY PRESENTING THEIR RESULTS IN A SYMPOSIUM. STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED IN ETHICS AND RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH, RESEARCH METHODS, SCIENTIFIC WRITING, PREPARING ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS, APPLYING TO AND SUCCEEDING IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. SOME STUDENTS WILL CO-AUTHOR JOURNAL ARTICLES; RECENT PUBLICATIONS DESCRIBE NEW SPECIES AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF RESTORATION PRACTICES, THE POPULATION GENETICS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES, AND COEVOLUTION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN LEGUMES. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE BY VISITING HTTP://WWW.MOBOT.ORG/REU , OR BY CONTACTING THE PI (DR. WENDY APPLEQUIST) OR CO-PI (DR. M?NICA CARLSEN) AT REU@MOBOT.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.

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)

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

SCREENING INSECT AGENTS IN CHINA FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF JAPANESE KNOTWEED AND MILE-MINUTE WEED IN THE USA

RESTORING ACCESS TO THE BIOCULTURAL COLLECTION AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN [THE BIOCULTURAL COLLECTION AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN INCLUDES PLANT-BASED ARTS, CRAFTS, TOOLS, FOODS, MEDICINES, AND OTHER MATERIAL CULTURE ARTIFACTS. THE DISRUPTIONS CAUSED BY COVID-19 HAVE UNDERSCORED THE URGENCY OF PROTECTING THIS COLLECTION, AND SHOWN THE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASING ACCESS THROUGH ONLINE CATALOGING AND EVENTS. REQUESTED FUNDS WOULD BRIDGE CURRENT FINANCIAL UNPREDICTABILITY TO ENSURE THIS COLLECTION IS CURATED AND CATALOGUED, SHARED THROUGH ONLINE EVENT PROGRAMMING VIA THE GARDEN'S STEPHEN AND PETER SACHS MUSEUM, AND MADE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE EXPANSION OF THE GARDEN'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE TROPICOS BIODIVERSITY DATABASE TO INCLUDE ARTIFACTS. OUTCOMES WILL BE: RESTORED AND ENHANCED PRESERVATION OF AND ACCESS TO ~12,000 CULTURAL ARTIFACTS, THE CREATION AND RETENTION OF SPECIALIZED POSITIONS, THE RESUMPTION OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, AND THE CREATION OF A NOVEL FUNCTIONALITY TO INTEGRATE A PLANT-BASED CULTURAL COLLECTION WITHIN A BOTANICAL DATABASE.] [PURPOSE:?THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS THE RETENTION OF TWO STAFF MEMBERS, THE HIRING OF?A?RESEARCH?SPECIALIST, AND?THE FUNDING OF?INTERNS, WHO WOULD ALL BE?ENGAGED IN A PROJECT TO?INCREASE ACCESS TO HISTORICAL?BIOCULTURAL?COLLECTIONS?AT?ONE OF THE?LARGEST?BOTANICAL GARDENS?IN NORTH AMERICA.  ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: A RESEARCHER AND A SENIOR STAFF MEMBER WOULD BE RETAINED, A RESEARCH SPECIALIST?WOULD BE?HIRED, AND FOUR INTERNS?WOULD BE EMPLOYED?TO ENGAGE IN CATALOG AND COLLECTION CURATION OF 10,000 BIOCULTURAL ARTIFACTS AND ASSOCIATED ETHNOBOTANY DATA AND COLLECTIONS. TROPICOS, THE?APPLICANT?S?ONLINE BOTANICAL DATABASE, WILL BE IMPROVED TO BETTER INTEGRATE CULTURAL ARTIFACT INFORMATION AND CATALOG FUNCTIONALITY WHILE?IMPROVING USABILITY.?IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION WOULD ALSO?HOST A VIRTUAL LECTURE SERIES ABOUT?BIOCULTURAL ARTIFACTS.?  EXPECTED OUTCOMES:?THE IMPROVEMENTS SHOULD RESTORE AND ENHANCE PRESERVATION OF AND ACCESS TO MORE THAN 10,000 CULTURAL ARTIFACTS, THE CREATION AND RETENTION OF SPECIALIZED POSITIONS, THE RESUMPTION OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, AND THE CREATION OF A NOVEL FUNCTIONALITY TO INTEGRATE A PLANT-BASED CULTURAL COLLECTION WITHIN THE BOTANICAL DATABASE, TROPICOS.  INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: RESEARCHERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE CATALOGING OF THE BIOCULTURAL ARTIFACTS AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE TROPICOS DATABASE, ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING RESEARCH RESOURCES OF ITS KIND, AVERAGING MORE THAN 178,000?USES?PER DAY AND,?WHICH SINCE 1982,?HAS BEEN AN ESSENTIAL TOOL TO BROADENING PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE GARDEN?S RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND?HISTORY OF?SCIENCE COLLECTIONS. THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL BENEFIT FROM THE VIRTUAL LECTURE SERIES WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ALL ONLINE.  SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:?THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT INTEND TO SUBAWARD FUNDS. ]

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CONSORTIUM OF PACIFIC HERBARIA. A RESEARCH AND COLLECTIONS NETWORK FOR OCEANIA

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

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.

REU SITE: BOTANY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY RESEARCH AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

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

REU SITE: BOTANY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY RESEARCH AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

CSBR: NATURAL HISTORY: COMPACT MOBILE STORAGE RETROFIT, ELECTRICAL TO MECHANICAL, MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

FIE EARMARK GRANT AWARDS

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

ENGAGING COMMUNITY WITH WILD SEED COLLECTION TO PROTECT GENETIC DIVERSITY AND DEVELOP DISEASE RESISTANCE FOR 'OHIA, A KEYSTONE NATIVE HAWAIIAN TREE.

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

REU SITE: BOTANY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY RESEARCH AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN -THIS REU SITE AWARD TO THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, LOCATED IN ST. LOUIS, MO, WILL SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF 8 STUDENTS FOR 10 WEEKS DURING THE SUMMERS OF 2026-2028. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A TOTAL OF 30 STUDENTS, PRIMARILY FROM SCHOOLS WITH LIMITED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, WILL BE TRAINED IN THE PROGRAM. THE GARDEN IS ONE OF THE WORLD?S MOST ACTIVE BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, WITH SPECIAL STRENGTHS IN CONSERVATION AND TAXONOMY, GIVING STUDENTS UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES QUESTIONS OF PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE. STUDENTS WILL LEARN HOW BOTANICAL RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED AND WILL OFTEN CO-AUTHOR ARTICLES IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. STAFF MENTORS ALSO BENEFIT FROM RECEIVING TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITIES TO TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE. STUDENTS? EXPERIENCES AND LASTING BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE ASSESSED THROUGH A POST-PROGRAM SURVEY AND 5-YEAR FOLLOW-UP. STUDENTS SHOULD APPLY TO THE REU SITE USING NSF ETAP (EDUCATION AND TRAINING APPLICATION: HTTPS://ETAP.NSF.GOV). THIS REU SITE WILL FOCUS ON BOTANY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY. MENTORS FROM THROUGHOUT THE GARDEN?S RESEARCH DIVISIONS WILL PARTICIPATE, OFFERING PROJECTS IN PLANT ECOLOGY, RESTORATION ECOLOGY, TAXONOMY AND SYSTEMATICS, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND POPULATION GENETICS, ETHNOBOTANY, AND RELATED FIELDS. CANDIDATES WILL BE SELECTED BY A COMMITTEE INCLUDING THE PI AND CO-PI, WITH INPUT FROM MENTORS. STUDENTS WILL WORK ON INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECTS AND PARTICIPATE IN GROUP EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS, WEEKLY SEMINARS, AND A JOURNAL CLUB, CONCLUDING BY PRESENTING THEIR RESULTS IN A SYMPOSIUM. STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED IN ETHICS AND RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH, RESEARCH METHODS AND PROJECT DESIGN, SCIENTIFIC WRITING, PREPARING ORAL AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS, APPLYING TO AND SUCCEEDING IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. STUDENT EXPERIENCES ARE ASSESSED VIA AN ONLINE SURVEY AND BY POST-PROGRAM FOLLOW-UP. SOME ALUMNI/AE LATER CO-AUTHOR JOURNAL ARTICLES; RECENT AND PENDING PUBLICATIONS DESCRIBE NEW SPECIES FROM MADAGASCAR AND EXPLORE THE POPULATION GENETICS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES, LONG-TERM PHENOLOGICAL CHANGE AT THE GARDEN?S SHAW NATURE RESERVE, SPECIES POOLS FOR PRAIRIE RESTORATION, AND COVARIATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN PERENNIAL CROP CANDIDATE SPECIES. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE FROM HTTP://WWW.MOBOT.ORG/REU. 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.

FLORA OF CHINA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ABI: INNOVATION: THE "GLOBAL NAMES ARCHITECTURE," AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR UNIFYING TAXONOMIC DATABASES AND SERVICES FOR MANAG

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

REVSYS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNTANGLING THE PASSIONFLOWER VINES: PHYLOGENY, SPECIES DIVERSIFICATION, AND CHARACTER EVOLUTION IN PASSIFLORA SSUBG. D

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

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

ENHANCEMENT AND COMPACTORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN HERBARIUM (PTBG) COLLECTIONS

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.

CREATING DIGITAL ACCESS TO NATURAL HISTORY ILLUSTRATIONS

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

THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM THAT WILL IMPROVE ITS CAPACITY TO RECRUIT FOR DIVERSITY AND RETAIN STAFF. THE GARDEN WILL HIRE A HUMAN RESOURCES TRAINING MANAGER AND ESTABLISH A DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE OF STAFF, TRUSTEES, AND A VOLUNTEER TO WORK WITH THE PROJECT TEAM. THE GARDEN WILL ALSO HIRE THREE CONSULTANTS TO DEVELOP TRAINING RESOURCES ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND MANUALS FOR EMPLOYEES AND MANAGERS WITH INCLUSIVE POLICIES, COMPLIANCE GUIDELINES, AND STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREATING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CULTURE. STAFF TRAININGS WILL INCLUDE CULTURAL AWARENESS AND TOPICS IDENTIFIED THROUGH STAFF SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS. A NEW ONBOARDING PROGRAM FOR NEW AND EXISTING EMPLOYEES WILL CELEBRATE AND DESCRIBE INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE AND CORE VALUES. THE GARDEN WILL ALSO FACILITATE THE LEGACY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, AN INTERNAL, SIX-MONTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM TO TRAIN, COACH AND MENTOR MID-LEVEL MANAGERS, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A TRAINING COMPONENT ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.

RCDG - VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT MARKET DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

FLORA OF CHINA

THE HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN (HBG) WILL USE FUNDS TO MODERNIZE ITS GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY INFRASTRUCTURE BY INSTALLING INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE PLANT PROPAGATION, GROWING CONDITIONS, AND COLLECTIONS CARE. THE PROJECT WILL BE PHASED OVER TWO YEARS AND INCLUDES UPGRADING HEATING, COOLING, AND AUTOMATED CONTROLS ACROSS MULTIPLE GREENHOUSES. THE UPGRADES WILL IMPROVE LIVING COLLECTIONS' HEALTH, SAFETY, AND EFFICIENCY, AND EXPAND THE CAPACITY TO GROW MORE PLANTS IN-HOUSE. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE ENHANCED CARE FOR HBG’S PLANT COLLECTIONS, GREATER SUPPORT FOR CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH EFFORTS, AND INCREASED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGH MORE ROBUST DISPLAYS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE HBG STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, PARTNER INSTITUTIONS, AND THE ANNUAL VISITORS WHO ENJOY HBG’S GARDENS AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH.

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 COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS WILL DESIGN, FABRICATE, EVALUATE AND INSTALL THREE NEW COMPONENTS TO ENHANCE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ITS VISITORS. A LEARNING HUB WILL PROVIDE SEATING AND SHELTER, INFORMATION ON GARDENS AND FACILITIES, AND IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT A PARTICULAR GARDEN OR TOPIC. THE LEARNING HUB WILL BE TESTED AND EVALUATED AS A PROTOTYPE FOR FUTURE HUBS TO BE LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE GARDEN. A NEW NATURE PLAY SPACE WITH HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND INTERACTIVE STRUCTURES WILL ENCOURAGE YOUNG CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT PLANTS AND NATURE THROUGH MUSIC, HANDS-ON CREATIONS, AND IMAGINARY PLAY. IMPROVED AND CRITICALLY-NEEDED ORIENTATION AND WAYFINDING ELEMENTS WILL ALSO BE INSTALLED AT THE GARDEN'S NEW ENTRANCE. THE PROJECT WILL INTRODUCE MULTIMODAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO THE SITE AS PART OF A 20-YEAR MASTER INTERPRETIVE PLAN.

THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN, THROUGH ITS SOUTHEASTERN CENTER FOR CONSERVATION, WILL USE FUNDS TO CREATE A REGION-SPECIFIC TRAINING PROGRAM TO EMPOWER CONSERVATION PROFESSIONALS IN THE CLIMATE-VULNERABLE REGIONS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN CONTINENTAL U.S., PUERTO RICO, AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. THIS PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON ESSENTIAL SKILLS IN CONSERVATION HORTICULTURE, SEED BANKING, IN VITRO PROPAGATION, AND FIELDWORK BEST PRACTICES. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THE GARDEN WILL ENHANCE THE SKILLS OF THE CONSERVATION WORKFORCE, ENABLING PROFESSIONALS TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE PLANT COLLECTIONS AND BIODIVERSITY. A HYBRID APPROACH COMBINING VIRTUAL LEARNING AND IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS WILL BUILD LONG-TERM, SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION EXPERTISE, FOSTERING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S., PUERTO RICO, AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS.

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.

OUR HARVEST SOUTH PHOENIXS FIRST FARME

THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN (ABG) WILL IMPROVE STEWARDSHIP OF ITS COLLECTIONS BY CREATING A SEED AND POLLEN BANK TO PROVIDE A PHYSICAL BACKUP OF THE GENETIC DIVERSITY HELD IN THE CONSERVATION COLLECTIONS, THAT WILL DECREASE VULNERABILITY TO LOSS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND PROVIDE SAFEGUARDS IN THE EVENT OF EXTINCTION IN THE WILD. THE PROJECT TEAM FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN CENTER FOR CONSERVATION AT ABG WILL STORE POLLEN AND SEED FROM FIVE PLANTS FROM EACH OF THE 300 CONSERVATION POPULATION COLLECTIONS (FOR A TOTAL OF 1,350 POLLEN AND 1,200 SEED SAMPLES). IN ADDITION, THEY WILL TRANSFER COLLECTION DATA TO AN ONLINE SEARCHABLE PLATFORM ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. UNDERGRADUATE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN PLANT CONSERVATION RESEARCH FOCUSED ON IMPERILED SPECIES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES AND WILL ASSIST THE LABORATORY MANAGER AND TECHNICIAN IN ASPECTS RELATED TO COLLECTIONS CURATION, CONSERVATION HORTICULTURE, SEED BANKING, AND MICROPROPAGATION.

COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS WILL IMPLEMENT A 36-MONTH PROJECT, "A GARDEN THAT BUILDS COMMUNITY, A COMMUNITY THAT GARDENS: GROWING HORTICULTURE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE," AIMED AT EXPANDING HORTICULTURE'S ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY WILL ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO ADDRESS AN URGENT REGIONAL COMMUNITY NEED FOR NEW CAREER PATHS AND TRAINED RECRUITS IN SUSTAINABLE HORTICULTURE. THE BOTANICAL GARDENS WILL LEVERAGE ITS COLLECTIONS, STAFF, FACILITIES, AND PARTNERSHIPS TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN, CO-CREATED PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN ASPECTS OF CONSUMER HORTICULTURE AND TO CREATE TRUSTED SPACES FOR COMMUNITY LEARNING. THEY WILL CREATE THREE INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY CATALYST TRACKS, FOCUSING ON EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION FOR YOUTH, ADVANCED STUDIES IN HORTICULTURE FOR LANDSCAPERS, DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, AND OTHER PRACTITIONERS, AND COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT FOR HORTICULTURAL THERAPY.

THE ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL LAUNCH “PROPAGATING OUR FUTURE,” AN INNOVATIVE CONSERVATION OUTREACH INITIATIVE. THE PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH A CONSERVATION ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR TO DESIGN INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS, DIGITAL MEDIA, PUBLIC TOURS, AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AIMING TO FOSTER PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOUTHEAST'S RARE AND IMPERILED PLANTS. THROUGH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES AND COMPELLING STORYTELLING, VISITORS OF ALL AGES WILL BE INSPIRED TO CONNECT WITH LOCAL BIODIVERSITY AND SUPPORT CONSERVATION EFFORTS. EDUCATIONAL COMPONENTS, PARTICULARLY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WILL INTEGRATE CONSERVATION SCIENCE INTO CURRICULA, NURTURING FUTURE STEWARDS OF THE REGION’S UNIQUE FLORA. PERFORMANCE METRICS AND AUDIENCE FEEDBACK WILL ENSURE SUSTAINED IMPACT, ALIGNING WITH INSTITUTIONAL GOALS IN CONSERVATION, SCIENCE LITERACY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL DOCUMENT, PRESERVE, AND SHARE ITS GROWING COLLECTION OF ENDEMIC AND RARE TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL PLANT SPECIES. THE PROJECT SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDS SEED BANK STORAGE CAPACITY TO STORE 35,000 SEEDS AND WILL ENSURE CONSERVATION OF AND IMPROVED ACCESS TO PLANT SPECIES BY DEVELOPING AS MANY AS 32 PROPAGATION PROTOCOLS, ESTABLISHING UP TO 35 STORAGE PROTOCOLS, AND CATALOGING APPROXIMATELY 150 UNDER-DOCUMENTED SPECIES. THE PROJECT SUPPORTS THE HIRING OF TWO NEW CONSERVATION ASSOCIATES AND A SEEDBANK SPECIALIST WHO WILL DEVELOP LONG-TERM SEED STORAGE AND PLANT PROPAGATION PROTOCOLS IN COLLABORATION WITH CARIBBEAN PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, ENSURING THAT PLANTS ENDEMIC TO THOSE PLACES CAN BE CONSERVED IN THEIR NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS. IN ADDITION, THEY WILL DEVELOP, PUBLISH, AND DISSEMINATE NEW SEED STORAGE AND GERMINATION PROTOCOLS MAKING THEM ACCESSIBLE TO BOTANICAL GARDENS, CONSERVATION SCIENTISTS, AND BOTANISTS WORLDWIDE.

MOSSES OF BOLIVIA: FINAL PHASE

THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL CREATE A COLLECTIONS DEVELOPMENT MODULE WITHIN THEIR LIVING COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO PRIORITIZE AND ACQUIRE SPECIES FOR THE LIVING PLANT COLLECTION. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THE COMPLEXITY THAT GOES INTO DECIDING WHICH PLANTS TO ACQUIRE BASED ON VARIOUS CRITERIA SUCH AS GLOBAL RARITY AND CLIMATE SUITABILITY, AND ALIGNMENT WITH THE GARDEN'S STRATEGIC GOALS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL CONTRACT WITH A SOFTWARE ANALYST TO PERFORM DEVELOPMENT WORK AND WILL WORK WITH PROGRAMMERS TO CREATE THE MODULE USING INPUT FROM THE HORTICULTURISTS AND MANAGEMENT STAFF. THE TEAM WILL PRODUCE THE FINAL DOCUMENTATION AND TRAIN STAFF ON THE MODULE, WHICH WILL RESULT IN A MODERN, COMPREHENSIVE LIVING COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT TRACKS AND MAINTAINS THEIR LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS.

THE COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS WILL DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT, AND EVALUATE A NEW DIALOGUE-BASED APPROACH FOR ENGAGING VISITORS ON TWO ENVIRONMENTALLY SIGNIFICANT, EMOTIONALLY COMPLEX, AND SOCIALLY CHALLENGING TOPICS OF INTEREST: CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS. IN COLLABORATION WITH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT TEAM OF EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND EVALUATION PARTNERS, THE GARDEN WILL PROVIDE TRAINING FOR DOCENTS, INTERNS, AND VOLUNTEERS TO FACILITATE LEARNING DIALOGUES WITH VISITORS ON THESE TOPICS. AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR WILL MEASURE THE EFFICACY OF THE TRAINING USING ONSITE DOCUMENTATION OF CONVERSATIONS AND POST-VISIT INVESTIGATION OF VISITORS’ EXPERIENCE. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, THE GARDEN INTENDS TO IMPROVE VISITORS’ WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND PARTICIPATE IN DIALOGUE ON THESE TOPICS, AS WELL AS MAKE CONNECTIONS FROM THE NATURAL WORLD TO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES.

OPUS: SYNTHESIS OF THE MOSSES OF THE TROPICAL ANDES

SURVEY, STUDY, AND PROPAGATION OF RARE AND SPECIAL PLANTS IN THE OTAY MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE: VISIONS OF HAWAI'I

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EVOLUTION AND TAXONOMY OF THE TRUE BLUEBERRIES (VACCINIUM SECTION CYANOCOCCUS)

DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL DEVELOP STATEWIDE CONSERVATION PLANS FOR AT-RISK POLLINATORS WITH THE ARIZONA MONARCH COLLABORATIVE, A GROUP OF APPROXIMATELY EIGHTY ORGANIZATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON MAINTAINING AND UPDATING THE ARIZONA MONARCH CONSERVATION PLAN AND DEVELOPING A NEW ARIZONA NATIVE POLLINATOR PLAN. PROJECT STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WILL COORDINATE WITH COLLABORATING PARTNERS ACROSS ELEVEN STATES TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETINGS, RECRUIT NEW PARTICIPANTS, AND INCREASE COMMUNITY OUTREACH. INFORMED BY A PREVIOUS PILOT PROGRAM, THIS PROJECT WILL EXPAND THE SHARING OF RESOURCES AMONGST CONSERVATION PROFESSIONALS AND OUTREACH COMMUNITY SCIENCE PARTICIPANTS. BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE CONSERVATION PROFESSIONALS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT POLLINATOR CONSERVATION.

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.

ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES IN THE TIME OF COVID-19: RETAINING STAFF TO ADAPT PROGRAMMING AT CMBG FOR A POST-PANDEMIC SOCIETY

LAMP VALUE ADDED PRODUCER GRANT--MANDATORY

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

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: POLYPLOIDY IN PHLOX AND ITS EFFECTS ON DIVERSITY

THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL CARRY OUT A PROJECT TO ENHANCE STEWARDSHIP OF ITS SEED BANK COLLECTIONS THAT SUPPORT PLANT CONSERVATION. THE SEED BANK CONTAINS THREE CORE COLLECTIONS AND CURRENTLY HOLDS MORE THAN 2,000 SAMPLES REPRESENTING 845 DIFFERENT SPECIES, OF WHICH 158 ARE GLOBALLY RARE OR THREATENED. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO: ACQUIRE AND INSTALL NEW EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING AN X-RAY MACHINE AND GERMINATION INCUBATORS; ASSESS BASELINE SEED QUALITY THROUGH NON-DESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION OF SEEDS; AND MONITOR SEED COLLECTION VIABILITY THROUGH GERMINATION TESTS TO ENSURE COLLECTION LONGEVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE SEED BANK COLLECTIONS SERVE A WIDE AUDIENCE, ENABLING EDUCATIONAL DISPLAYS OF RARE PLANTS AT THE BOTANICAL GARDEN, AS WELL AS SHARING OF DATA WITH THE GREATER PLANT CONSERVATION SCIENCE COMMUNITY ON THE PUBLICLY SEARCHABLE DATABASE, WWW.LIVINGCOLLECTIONS.ORG.

DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN (DBG) WILL USE FUNDS TO ESTABLISH A CRYOBIOREPOSITORY AND CONSERVATION CRYOBANK FOR ENDANGERED CACTUS AND AGAVE SPECIES, ADDRESSING BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND CLIMATE IMPACT CHALLENGES IN ARID REGIONS. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES ACQUISITION OF A CUTTING-EDGE FUSION FREEZER FOR CRYOGENIC STORAGE, DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENTATION OF TWO WORKSHOPS ON CRYOBIOTECHNOLOGY AND MICROPROPAGATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STANDARDIZED PROTOCOLS FOR SAMPLE COLLECTION, DNA/RNA EXTRACTION, AND CRYOPRESERVATION. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE A SECURE REPOSITORY OF HIGH-VALUE GENETIC MATERIAL, INCREASED CACTUS AND AGAVE SPECIES REPRESENTATION IN DBG COLLECTIONS, AND A TRAINED NETWORK OF RESEARCHERS. THIS PROJECT WILL DIRECTLY BENEFIT THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS, AND DBG’S BROADER PUBLIC AUDIENCE BY SAFEGUARDING THESE ICONIC DESERT SPECIES AND FACILITATING THEIR FUTURE RESTORATION IN THREATENED ECOSYSTEMS.

A DNA BANK CATALOG FOR THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

THE SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL EXPAND PUBLIC ACCESS TO ITS COLLECTIONS OF THE GARDENS OF GOLDEN GATE PARK, A NEW ENTITY LAUNCHED TO ELEVATE THE EXPERIENCES OF VISITORS TO THE THREE BOTANICAL GARDENS IN GOLDEN GATE PARK. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE CREATING A UNIFIED COLLECTIONS POLICY FOR ALL THREE GARDENS, EXPANDING THE CAPACITY OF THE COLLECTIONS TEAM, AND INTEGRATING AND EXPANDING THE COLLECTIONS DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT ADDRESSES THE NEED TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING VISITORS, STUDENTS, AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, WITH REAL-TIME AND ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIVING AND HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS IN THE CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS, JAPANESE TEA GARDEN, AND SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN.

THE SOPHIA M. SACHS BUTTERFLY HOUSE, A DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, WILL CREATE A BUTTERFLY HOUSE ENTOMOLOGY LAB TO SERVE AS A FUNCTIONAL SPACE FOR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS TO PROPERLY CARE FOR THEIR INVERTEBRATE ANIMAL COLLECTION WHILE PROVIDING GUESTS AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE. THIS EXHIBITION WILL PROMOTE LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOCUSED ON THE BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE, INVERTEBRATE ANIMAL CONSERVATION, AND THE FIELD OF ENTOMOLOGY. THE PROJECT ALSO WILL INCLUDE THE ADDITION OF DIGITAL COMPONENTS SUCH AS MONITORS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH DISPLAY SPECIES AND THEIR REGION OF ORIGIN. THE ADDITION OF TECHNOLOGY ALSO WILL ALLOW VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS TO THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE ENTOMOLOGY LAB.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MODELING THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF HAWAIIAN PLANTS

SOUTHEASTERN PARTNERS IN PLANT CONSERVATION ALLIANCE

DEVELOPING A TAXONOMIC CROSSWALK BETWEEN PLANTS AND FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA DATABASES WITH THE GOAL OF CREATING A UNIFIED CHECKLIST OF PLANTS FOR NORTH AMERICA.

EAGER: DISENTANGLING THE EFFECTS OF ECOLOGICAL CLADE SORTING AND ADAPTIVE DIVERSIFICATION TO THE ASSEMBLY OF REGIONAL BIOTAS

IIJA IRA BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT CALIFORNIA PLANT CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION MANAGEMENT - 2024

THE LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL ADDRESS RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A COLLECTIONS ASSESSMENT FOR PRESERVATION (CAP) REPORT THAT HIGHLIGHTED CHALLENGES THE HORTICULTURE STAFF FACE IN MAINTAINING CLIMATE ZONES SPECIFIC TO THE NEEDS OF PLANTS DUE TO THE GARDEN’S AGING INFRASTRUCTURE. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE REPLACING THE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEM, THE LOUVERS AND SHADES IN GARDEN BUILDINGS, AND THE GREENHOUSE MISTING SYSTEM. AS A RESULT, THE GARDEN WILL CONTINUE TO PROTECT, PRESERVE AND EXPAND THE BOTANICAL COLLECTION INCLUDING THREATENED TAXA, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO SUPPORTING THE GARDEN’S FUNCTIONS AND MISSION.

THE SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN (SFBG) WILL ENGAGE IN AUDIENCE RESEARCH AND A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PLANNING PROCESS TO PRODUCE AN INTERPRETIVE PLAN FOR THE NEW GARDENS OF GOLDEN GATE PARK, WHICH INCLUDES SFBG, THE CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS, AND THE JAPANESE TEA GARDEN. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL PARTNER WITH INTERPRETIVE PLANNING CONSULTANTS AND A DIVERSE GROUP OF EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS. THEY WILL CONDUCT STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS AND COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS TO CAPTURE A DIVERSITY OF VOICES, PERSPECTIVES, AND CULTURAL PRACTICES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN. FINDINGS FROM THESE EFFORTS WILL INFORM THE REFINEMENT OF GOALS, KEY THEMES, AND THE RESULTING INTERPRETIVE PLAN, WHICH WILL IDENTIFY PROGRAMMING, SIGNAGE, AND MATERIALS THAT WILL CONNECT THE THREE SITES WITH GUIDANCE FOR INTERPRETATION THAT IS UNIQUE TO EACH LOCATION. THE RESULTING PLAN WILL HELP BUILD PLANT AWARENESS AND BOTANICAL LITERACY, WHILE INCORPORATING STRATEGIES TO REACH UNDERREPRESENTED AUDIENCES.

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

THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL WORK WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO SUSTAIN A JOINT PROJECT TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY WELLNESS THROUGH AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD, ACTIVE LIVING, AND CULTURAL ROOTS. THE MUSEUM WILL HIRE A BILINGUAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND MARKETING COORDINATOR TO DEVELOP ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF A 19-ACRE FARM AND COMMUNITY GARDEN THAT IS TRANSFORMING A FOOD DESERT IN THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SOUTH PHOENIX COMMUNITY INTO A FOOD OASIS. THE COORDINATOR WILL DEVELOP, PROMOTE, IMPLEMENT, AND ASSESS PLANS, TOOLS, AND RESOURCE MATERIALS THAT INCREASE AUTHENTIC COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, AND CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF INCREASING PARTICIPATION AND FARMERS MARKET SALES. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE A SERIES OF ONSITE COMMUNITY EVENTS, COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS FOR PARTICIPANTS, A NEW WEBSITE, A SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN, AND EVENTS WITH FOUR NEARBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE: BIODIVERSITY ON DEMAND (BOND): A WEB PLATFORM FOR DISCOVERING, COMPARING, AND INTEGRATING BIODIVERSITY DATABASES -A GRAND CHALLENGE IN THIS ERA OF RAPID GLOBAL CHANGE IS EFFICIENTLY ASSESSING, PREDICTING, AND AMELIORATING CHANGES IN BIODIVERSITY AND ASSOCIATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. ADDRESSING THIS CHALLENGE REQUIRES UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO BIODIVERSITY DATA ACROSS SPATIAL, TEMPORAL, AND TAXONOMIC SCALES. THE PAST FEW DECADES HAVE WITNESSED THE RAPID GROWTH OF BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION. THESE DATA COMPRISE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, INFORMATION ON SPECIES? GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS, FUNCTIONAL TRAITS, PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS, PHENOLOGY, AND BIOTIC INTERACTIONS. HOWEVER, THESE DATA ARE SCATTERED ACROSS NUMEROUS, OFTEN ISOLATED DATABASES AND REPOSITORIES, WHICH HAVE PROLIFERATED LARGELY IN PARALLEL. THIS MAKES SEARCHING AND SYNTHESIZING RELEVANT INFORMATION DIFFICULT, LIMITING OUR ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY HARNESS THE ENTIRETY OF AVAILABLE DATA AND IDENTIFY GAPS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE. AS A RESULT, IT HAS BECOME DIFFICULT TO ASSESS WHAT DATA WE ALREADY HAVE AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. CLOSING THESE GAPS IS NECESSARY FOR UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING BIODIVERSITY LOSS, WHICH AFFECTS HUMAN HEALTH, FOOD SECURITY, AND THE ECONOMY. THEREFORE, THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY HAS BEEN CALLING FOR GREATER ALIGNMENT BETWEEN EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF EARTH?S BIODIVERSITY. THIS PROJECT WILL CONSTRUCT BIODIVERSITY ON DEMAND (BOND), A PILOT WEB PLATFORM FOR DISCOVERING, COMPARING, AND INTEGRATING BIODIVERSITY DATABASES. BOND IS EXPECTED TO GREATLY ENHANCE THE COMMUNITY?S CAPACITY IN DATABASE DISCOVERY, COMPARISON, AND INTEGRATION, THUS HELPING THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY TO MORE EFFECTIVELY USE THE RAPIDLY GROWING VOLUME OF BIODIVERSITY DATA TO GAIN A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE OF EARTH?S BIODIVERSITY. THE PROJECT WILL PROMOTE THE TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS BY PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THROUGH THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES SITE AT EMORY UNIVERSITY AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE PROJECT TEAM. STUDENTS WILL GAIN CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TRAINING IN BIOLOGY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, ESPECIALLY GAINING KNOWLEDGE OF BIG DATA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, WHICH ARE CRITICAL TECHNIQUES IN THE ERA OF BIOTECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION. THE PROJECT WILL ACTIVELY INVOLVE PARTICIPANTS FROM THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS COMMUNITY AND PROMOTE THE LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT OF BIODIVERSITY INFORMATICS. THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL WORK WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO CO-DESIGN A METADATA SCHEMA WITH MAXIMIZED COMPATIBILITY FOR INDEXING HETEROGENEOUS BIODIVERSITY DATABASES. IN ADDITION TO INDEXING, THE METADATA SCHEMA WILL ALSO ENABLE DATABASE COMPARISON AND INTEGRATION. BUILDING UPON THE METADATA SCHEMA, THE TEAM WILL BUILD A DATABASE OF BIODIVERSITY DATABASES TO ENHANCE THE DISCOVERY AND COMPARISON OF BIODIVERSITY DATA. THE COMPILED METADATA WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO A DISTANCE MATRIX REPRESENTING THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG DATABASES. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP DEEP LEARNING ALGORITHMS TO FACILITATE THE INTEGRATION OF BIODIVERSITY DATABASES, CONTRIBUTING NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPROACHES FOR SYNTHESIZING HETEROGENEOUS SCIENTIFIC DATA. THE ALGORITHMS WILL BE EVALUATED WITH A FEW REPRESENTATIVE CASE STUDIES. LASTLY, THOSE FUNCTIONALITIES WILL BE INTEGRATED IN A WEB INTERFACE. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF BOND IS TO BECOME THE ?FIRST STOP? FOR DISCOVERING, EVALUATING, AND SYNTHESIZING BIODIVERSITY DATA. 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.

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

MCA: PHYLOGENETIC AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSES AND INFRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION OF HYPOESTES (ACANTHACEAE) -THIS MID-CAREER ADVANCEMENT (MCA) PROJECT WILL STUDY THE EVOLUTION AND TAXONOMY OF THE PLANT GENUS HYPOESTES, A GROUP OF OVER 130 KNOWN SPECIES, MOST OF WHICH ARE NATIVE TO THE BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT OF MADAGASCAR. THE DIVERSITY OF THIS GROUP IN MADAGASCAR IS POORLY KNOWN AND EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THERE ARE MANY UNDESCRIBED SPECIES. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE GROUP IN MADAGASCAR, IT IS NECESSARY TO CLEARLY IDENTIFY SPECIES AND UNDERSTAND THEIR EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS. THIS PROJECT WILL USE DNA SEQUENCE AND OTHER DATA TO IDENTIFY SPECIES AND RECONSTRUCT THEIR EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY, LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN IMPROVED TAXONOMY AND UNDERSTANDING OF BIODIVERSITY IN THE GROUP. THIS MCA PROJECT WILL ALLOW THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR TO WORK WITH AN EXPERT COLLABORATOR TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS THAT WILL ENHANCE THEIR RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAM, GENERATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, AND PROVIDE FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT THROUGH OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. A PHYLOGENETIC STUDY OF HYPOESTES WILL BE CONDUCTED USING THE ANGIOSPERMS-353 PROBE SET. THIS METHOD CONSISTENTLY SUPPLIES OVER 100,000 BASE PAIRS OF LOW-COPY NUCLEAR DNA SEQUENCES AND CAN BE USED ON DEGRADED DNA. MOST SAMPLES WILL BE EXTRACTED FROM HERBARIUM SPECIMENS USING A MODIFIED CTAB METHOD. SPECIMENS WILL BE TENTATIVELY IDENTIFIED USING AN UNPUBLISHED RESOURCE PREPARED BY THE PI AND COMPARISON TO ONLINE TYPE SPECIMEN IMAGES. SOME WILL BE IDENTIFIED AS POSSIBLE NEW SPECIES, AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH INTERNS WILL AID IN SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS. FIVE OTHER GENERA OF TRIBE JUSTICIEAE WILL BE USED AS OUTGROUPS. GENOMIC LIBRARIES WILL BE PREPARED USING COMMERCIAL KITS, POOLED, ENRICHED USING THE ANGIOSPERMS-353 MYBAITS? EXPERT PANEL TARGET CAPTURE KIT, MULTIPLEXED, AND SENT TO A COMMERCIAL LABORATORY FOR ILLUMINA? SEQUENCING. FOUR DIFFERENT ANALYTICAL METHODS WILL BE USED TO PRODUCE GENE AND SPECIES TREES FROM CLEANED AND ALIGNED SEQUENCE DATA. TWO METHODS WILL BE USED TO PRODUCE DATED TREES CALIBRATED USING ACANTHACEAE FOSSILS, AND ANCESTRAL GEOGRAPHIC RANGES WILL BE PREDICTED. AN INFRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION OF HYPOESTES GLOBALLY WILL BE PROPOSED, WHICH WILL RECOGNIZE SUBGROUPS SUPPORTED BY BOTH MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS. 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.

NORFOLK BOTANICAL GARDEN (NBG) WILL IMPLEMENT A STAFF DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE AIMED AT EQUIPPING STAFF TO EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOR INTERPRETING PLANT COLLECTIONS IN THE NEW PERRY CONSERVATORY. THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE THE CREATION OF DIGITAL CONTENT FOR DYNAMIC, TECH-BASED INTERPRETIVE EXPERIENCES, MOVING AWAY FROM STATIC SIGNAGE TO INTERACTIVE TOOLS THAT ENGAGE VISITORS. THE INITIATIVE ALSO SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF AN INTERPRETIVE MASTER PLAN THAT WILL CREATE A FRAMEWORK FOR ENSURING THAT ALL CONTENT FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY MEETS INSTITUTIONAL GOALS. INSIGHT GAINED THROUGH EVALUATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH AT OTHER BOTANICAL GARDENS AND MUSEUMS, AND INPUT FROM STAFF WHO ARE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PROGRAM WILL BUILD THE CAPACITY TO INTRODUCE A NEW INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE TO THE PERRY CONSERVATORY.

DRAFT SYNTHESIS SECTION OF 57 5-YEAR REVIEWS

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE FENCING PROJECT THAT PROTECTS AND RESTORES NATIVE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

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

THE LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN WILL REHOUSE AND STORE THE LORA M. ROBINS LIBRARY COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE THE INSTALLATION OF A COMPACT STORAGE SYSTEM WITH CLOSED STORAGE FOR RARE BOOKS, CABINETS FOR WORKS ON PAPER, SHELVING FOR OBJECTS AND ARCHIVAL BOXES, AND ART RACKS FOR HANGING FRAMED WORKS. THE COLLECTION CONTAINS ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS, HERBARIUM SPECIMENS, AND WATERCOLORS FROM THE LEE MEMORIAL PARK WILDFLOWER AND BIRD SANCTUARY, AND APPROXIMATELY 300 VOLUMES OF BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL BOOKS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION. THE REHOUSING PROCESS WILL ALLOW STAFF TO ASSESS THE CONDITION AND DOCUMENTATION OF EACH COLLECTION ITEM AS IT IS PROCESSED, WHILE THE OVERALL PROJECT WILL INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY TO THE COLLECTIONS FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, DIGITIZATION, AND EXHIBITION PURPOSES.

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

SEEDS OF SUCCESS COLLECTIONS IN SAN DIEGO AND IMPERIAL COUNTIES

THE BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF TEXAS, A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND CONSERVATION CENTER THAT ALSO MANAGES THE FORT WORTH BOTANIC GARDEN, WILL MIGRATE LIVING COLLECTION RECORDS FROM THEIR CURRENT COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT DATABASE TO AN ENHANCED PLATFORM TO FACILITATE THE ACCESSIONING OF EXISTING AND FUTURE PLANT MATERIALS. FUNDS WILL BE USED TO HIRE A PLANT RECORDS MANAGER WHO WILL CONDUCT PLANT INVENTORIES, CATALOG MATERIAL, PERFORM DATA VALIDATION, AND TRAIN STAFF. THIS PROJECT WILL FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A LIVING COLLECTIONS STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF AN INTEGRATED, COLLECTIONS-FOCUSED APPROACH TO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND SPECIES CONSERVATION.

OPUS: A SYNTHETIC SYSTEMATIC AND PHYLOGENETIC STUDY OF THE MUSTARD FAMILY (BRASSICACEAE)

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

THE PHIPPS CONSERVATORY WILL PRESERVE STAFF POSITIONS THREATENED DUE TO PANDEMIC-RELATED REVENUE LOSSES WHILE MITIGATING COMMUNITY INEQUALITY IN WELL-BEING AND FOOD-SECURITY THROUGH THE DIGITIZATION OF PLANT-BASED SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES OUTREACH PROGRAMMING. THE CONSERVATORY WILL BUILD A FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL LEARNING AND ARCHIVE MATERIALS FOR FUTURE USE BY STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS THROUGH ITS HORTICULTURE REFERENCE LIBRARY. THE PROJECT WILL EXTEND MORE THAN 300 NEW PUBLIC DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ENGAGE HOMEGROWN NETWORKS OF 300 HOUSEHOLD RAISED-BED VEGETABLE GARDENERS IN URBAN FOOD-DESERT NEIGHBORHOODS AS A VITAL COMMUNITY FOOD SUPPLY OF GARDEN-FRESH PRODUCE AND COMMUNITY BEAUTIFICATION, WHILE INCREASING PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS' SOCIAL AND KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL. THE CONSERVATORY WILL ALSO TRAIN UP TO 40 OF ITS STAFF AND MORE THAN 150 OTHER BOTANIC GARDEN AND MUSEUM EDUCATORS BY EXCHANGING KNOWLEDGE IN ONSITE AND ONLINE WORKSHOPS FOR BEST PRACTICES IN COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND E-LEARNING.