From National Checklist to Chinese Virtual Herbarium CVH

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From National Checklist to Chinese Virtual
Herbarium (CVH)

• Ma Keping, Qin Haining, Wang Lisong
• Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of
  Sciences

TDWG 2007 Annual Conference, Bratislava
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China is one of the most focusing area for its
mega-biodiversity in the world
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C.
G., Fonseca, G. A. B. d. Kent4, J. 2000.
Biodiversity hotspots for conservation
priorities. Nature 403(853-858).
Kier, G., Mutke, J., Dinerstein, E., Ricketts, T.
H., Kuper, W., Kreft, H. Barthlott, W. 2005.
Global patterns of plant diversity and floristic
knowledge. Journal of Biogeography 32(7)
1107-1116.
Barthlott, W., Mutke, J., Rafiqpoor, M. D., Kier,
G. Kreft, H. 2005. Global centres of vascular
plant diversity. Nova Acta Leopoldina 92 61-83.
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The worlds largest Flora completed

• Initiated in 1930s and began in 1958
• The last volume was completed on 2004
• 45 years of extraordinary effort by 312 Chinese
  botanists
• 126 books, which constitute 80 volumes
• 31,141 species, 3407 genera, and 300 families of
  vascular plants
• Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS)

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Species of seed plants endemic to China
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Herbaria and specimens in China

• 318 registered herbaria in China ca. 16,135,547
  specimens
• Only 17 participated herbaria with ca. 4,000,000
  (24.79) specimens have been digitized and ca.
  2,700,000 (16.73) have been put on-line in
  present CVH

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Goals

• Integration of the fragmented inventory and
  primary plants biodiversity data
• Providing web-based services to users through
  standard information technology
• Providing necessary information for
  decision-maker in doing conservation actions in
  China

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The major data groups in present CVH
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Two focusing parts at present CVH

• the Catalog of Life, China Plants

• the Virtual Herbarium

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Names and taxa of vascular plants in China
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Species2000 China nodehttp//www.sp2000.cn/joaen/

Coming soon, until the end of this year
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Chinese Virtual Herbarium-CVHhttp//www.cvh.org.c
n

• Specimens
• Species card
• Gallery
• Chinese Moss/Fern
• E-library
• Scientific Education

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Specimen query Ginkgo biloba L.
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Each species has been linked with FRPS
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Specimen in details
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Photos linked to species entry
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Tools of data entry
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Digitization of herbarium specimen
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Type Specimen
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Type Specimens
Cycas debaoensis Y. C. Zhong et C. J. Chen
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Type specimen and protologue

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Index of Chinese herbaria
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Chinese moss and fern
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Online magazine-History of plant collection in
China
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Synopsis for Plant Taxonomical
literatures(1949-1990)
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Gazetteer Database
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Electronic Local Floras

• Flora of Tibet
• Flora of Qinghai
• Flora of Qinling (Mt.)
• Flora of Hainan
• Flora of Sichuan

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Scientific Education
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Lessons from past

• Standard is first!
• Data standard Scientific name, Gazetteer,
  Collector
• Information standard ABCD, TCS, SDD, DwC

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What we will do?

• Unified and flexible data tools for data provider
• Involving with more Chinese herbaria and data
  provider
• Re-organize content in the ways of consistent
  with standard web structure
• Integration of the separated database
• Optimize database structure as it consistent with
  TDWG standard
• Geo-reference, and GIS-based distribution map
• English interface for users
• So many schedules and details we need to pay more
  attention, just mention a few of them

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Standardization of Chinese gazetteer
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Ecological niche modelingPotential distribution
of Rhododendron L.
Threatened species
Endemic species
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Integration of separated databases

• Chinese orchids
• Chinese Virtual Paleobotanical herbarium (CVPH)
• Digital Network of Chinese Natural Reserve

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Distributed network of future CVH
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Our experiences

• CVH is the first biodiversity informatics project
  with the aim to integrate fragmented biodiversity
  data together and to provide a web-based services
  to users
• Three years is not enough for it becoming a real
  mature information system
• So many experiences for the first time
• We still have a long way to go

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Thank you