Search

Knowledge of the geographical distribution for many primary burrowing crayfishes is often limited to information presented in species descriptions or field notes associated with epigean crayfish surveys. Cambarus strigosus Hobbs, 1981 , a rare primary burrowing crayfish, was collected as part of a survey of the Sumter National Forest, South Carolina (SC), USA. Prior to this discovery, C. strigosus appeared to be endemic to mid-reaches of the Broad River Drainage in Georgia (GA). We conducted additional field sampling in SC and GA and used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to compare the relative genetic distance between individuals across all populations in an effort to determine the identity of the specimens collected. Genetic data indicated that the crayfish collected in SC was C. strigosus, with one shared haplotype between SC and GA populations. Our genetic results exhibited geographic structuring and indicated that SC populations have a specific haplotype unique to them, providing strong evidence that SC populations are not introduced. Two additional SC records of C. strigosus from 1983 housed in the US National Museum were examined and determined to be C. strigosus. With these records, we hypothesized that like in GA, the distribution of C. strigosus in SC is limited to riparian habitats associated with the Savannah River Drainage. While the range of this species has been extended, it is still limited to small portions of this drainage. Thus, further sampling to determine the true extent of C. strigosus distribution within SC along with conservation efforts are needed to protect this globally rare species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assemblages of mammal skeletal remains provide a powerful tool for censusing wildlife populations to establish zoological baselines required for evaluating biogeographic trends over varying timescales. Caves provide an ideal depositional setting to preserve these skeletal remains despite potential time averaging and taphonomic filtering. We describe a Holocene paleontological assemblage from Boomerang Cave in the Bear River Range of Cache County, northern Utah, United States, at an elevation of 2,231 m, and at the boundary between the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain biogeographic provinces. We analyzed 1,228 surface-collected specimens from six areas within the cave, and identified a minimum of 22 nonoverlapping mammalian taxa, comprising all size classes present in the region. Compared to museum records for mammals from the Bear River Range and individuals trapped or observed in the vicinity of the cave, specimen-based rarefaction demonstrates that our assemblage captures most of the mammalian diversity expected in the area. This is particularly apparent for carnivorans and soricids, which are particularly well-represented in the Boomerang Cave assemblage, with the former clade represented by at least nine taxa. This high level of diversity can be attributed to the relatively random nature of natural trap cave deposition, reducing accumulation biases due to size or diet. We also record the first occurrence of Merriam's Shrew (Sorex merriami) from the Bear River Range. Our analysis does not indicate any mammalian changes between late Holocene and present-day communities, but these data establish a new zoological baseline for an alpine community at the interface between two key biogeographic provinces in western North America. Our work highlights the value of collecting skeletal remains from cave assemblages as a convenient and fast method for censusing terrestrial mammalian communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Squirrels of South Asia (SOSA) database compiles comprehensive distribution and occurrence information on all squirrel species that occur in this region (34 species). These 34 squirrel species, including tree, flying and ground squirrels, represent 14% of global sciurid diversity. The database collates curated data from various sources such as museums, literature, primary fieldwork, citizen science and social media platforms and covers the entire distributional ranges of the target species, including countries in Central Asia and Southeast Asia when required. The SOSA database enhances our understanding of squirrel distribution, population dynamics and their conservation needs in South Asia by consolidating information. It aims to be a valuable resource for researchers, conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts. New information As of March 2023, the database comprises over 40,000 records of 34 species in over 30 countries globally. Spending an average of 334 hours on each species, more than 20 data collectors put in over 10,000 hours to gather, curate and build this database. The database has resulted in novel records of species occurrence in regions and countries that are poorly represented in currently available global data repositories. The current version which has been made public via GBIF comprises of 1187 records of all 34 species across multiple sources. This is a subset of the SOSA database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Dated, geo‐referenced museum specimens are a rich data source for reconstructing species' distribution and abundance patterns. However, museum records are potentially biased towards over‐representation of rare species, and it is unclear whether museum records can be used to estimate relative abundance in the field. We assembled 17 coupled field and museum datasets to quantitatively compare relative abundance estimates with the Dirichlet distribution. Collectively, these datasets comprise 73,039 museum records and 1,405,316 field observations of 2,240 species. Although museum records of rare species overestimated relative abundance by 1‐fold to over 100‐fold (median study = 9.0), the relative abundance of species estimated from museum occurrence records was strongly correlated with relative abundance estimated from standardized field surveys (r2 range of 0.10–0.91, median study = 0.43). These analyses provide a justification for estimating species relative abundance with carefully curated museum occurrence records, which may allow for the detection of temporal or spatial shifts in the rank ordering of common and rare species.

Natural history collections (NHC) provide a wealth of information that can be used to understand the impacts of global change on biodiversity. As such, there is growing interest in using NHC data to estimate changes in species' distributions and abundance trends over historic time horizons when contemporary survey data are limited or unavailable.However, museum specimens were not collected with the purpose of estimating population trends and thus can exhibit spatiotemporal and collector‐specific biases that can impose severe limitations to using NHC data for evaluating population trajectories.Here we review the challenges associated with using museum records to track long‐term insect population trends, including spatiotemporal biases in sampling effort and sparse temporal coverage within and across years. We highlight recent methodological advancements that aim to overcome these challenges and discuss emerging research opportunities.Specifically, we examine the potential of integrating museum records and other contemporary data sources (e.g. collected via structured, designed surveys and opportunistic citizen science programs) in a unified analytical framework that accounts for the sampling biases associated with each data source. The emerging field of integrated modelling provides a promising framework for leveraging the wealth of collections data to accurately estimate long‐term trends of insect populations and identify cases where that is not possible using existing data sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Methods in Ecology & Evolution is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In contrast, the COI haplotype network for I D. radiella i reveals relatively little genetic diversity within North America and across Europe, with significant geographic structuring between Russian and European/North American haplotypes. Keywords: invasion; herbivory; Apiaceae; Depressariidae; museum records EN invasion herbivory Apiaceae Depressariidae museum records N.PAG N.PAG 14 09/27/22 20220901 NES 220901 1. Together, the COI haplotype network and the approximate invasion timeline of the superspecialist I D. radiella i can provide a comparative insight as to whether the ecological differences in diet breadth and period of seasonal activity influence population structure across geographic space and whether these impacts are likely to influence the rate of successful I D. depressana i establishment across North America. In expanding its range to include North America, I D. depressana i follows its Eurasian congener I Depressaria radiella i (Goeze, 1783) (formerly I Depressaria pastinacella i Duponchel, 1838), which was first reported in the Western Hemisphere in Ontario in 1862 (Bethune 1869, named I D. ontariella i and subsequently synonymized with the European I D. heracliana i (Linnaeus, 1758)). [Extracted from the article]

Occurrence data used to build species distribution models often include historical records from locations in which the species no longer exists. When these records are paired with contemporary environmental values that no longer represent the conditions the species experienced, the model creates false associations that hurt predictive performance. The extent of mismatching increases with the number of historical occurrences and with inclusion of environmental variables that are prone to change over time. Indeed, the mismatch between occurrence data and contemporaneous environmental variables is a common dilemma when modeling rare or cryptic species, especially those of conservation concern that were once more abundant. Herein, we assess (1) the impact of historical occurrences on model performance across three sets of environmental variables of increasing persistency and (2) the performance of models built using selected‐historical occurrences from locations that showed evidence of limited environmental change over time. Concepts are tested on federally listed flatwoods salamanders, reflecting real‐world conservation management efforts. We predicted that, compared to other occurrence sets, (1) historical occurrences would perform best with environmental variables that were more persistent, (2) recent occurrences would perform best when the environmental variables were more impersistent, and that (3) our selected‐historical occurrences would perform best with a combination of persistent and impersistent variables. Our results showed the expected inversion of model performance of recent and historical occurrences across environmental variables of increasing persistency when evaluated by correct predictions. However, the inversion was not seen in area under the curve performance, in which historical occurrences outperformed recent occurrence models across all variable sets. Selected‐historical occurrences did not notably improve performance over all‐historical occurrences in any metric or variable set. To maximize utility and performance, modelers could acknowledge potential trade‐offs from inclusion of historical occurrences and consider number and age of recent and historical occurrences available, the persistency of environmental variables considered, and how their conservation goals are reflected in model design and evaluation, particularly with respect to sensitivity versus specificity. Our study lends support for inclusion of historical occurrences, with the potential exception of mostly impersistent variables when sensitivity is the highest priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Occurrence data used to build species distribution models often include historical records from locations in which the species no longer exists. When these records are paired with contemporary environmental values that no longer represent the conditions the species experienced, the model creates false associations that hurt predictive performance. The extent of mismatching increases with the number of historical occurrences and with inclusion of environmental variables that are prone to change over time. Indeed, the mismatch between occurrence data and contemporaneous environmental variables is a common dilemma when modeling rare or cryptic species, especially those of conservation concern that were once more abundant. Herein, we assess (1) the impact of historical occurrences on model performance across three sets of environmental variables of increasing persistency and (2) the performance of models built using selected‐historical occurrences from locations that showed evidence of limited environmental change over time. Concepts are tested on federally listed flatwoods salamanders, reflecting real‐world conservation management efforts. We predicted that, compared to other occurrence sets, (1) historical occurrences would perform best with environmental variables that were more persistent, (2) recent occurrences would perform best when the environmental variables were more impersistent, and that (3) our selected‐historical occurrences would perform best with a combination of persistent and impersistent variables. Our results showed the expected inversion of model performance of recent and historical occurrences across environmental variables of increasing persistency when evaluated by correct predictions. However, the inversion was not seen in area under the curve performance, in which historical occurrences outperformed recent occurrence models across all variable sets. Selected‐historical occurrences did not notably improve performance over all‐historical occurrences in any metric or variable set. To maximize utility and performance, modelers could acknowledge potential trade‐offs from inclusion of historical occurrences and consider number and age of recent and historical occurrences available, the persistency of environmental variables considered, and how their conservation goals are reflected in model design and evaluation, particularly with respect to sensitivity versus specificity. Our study lends support for inclusion of historical occurrences, with the potential exception of mostly impersistent variables when sensitivity is the highest priority.

Limited information is available regarding the distribution of the African mantis, Sphodromantis gastrica (Stål) (Mantodea: Mantidae) and no information is available on its biology. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of S. gastrica in South Africa based on historic insect collection records and citizen science platforms occurrence data, and to study its basic biology and developmental parameters under captive breeding conditions. A total of 153 South African museum records of Sphodromantis spp. were recorded during this study, while 39 Research Grade observations from iNaturalist were also included. These records indicated that S. gastrica occurred in all provinces of South Africa. The incubation time of the S. gastrica oothecae were approximately 10 weeks and each ootheca contained an average of 84 egg chambers. The mean fertility rate was 54.6% while the survival rate until adulthood was 41.8%. The mean lifespan of S. gastrica individuals were approximately 332 days and females lived longer than males. This study will provide a baseline as it is the first published data on the distribution and biology of this common and charismatic insect in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical records from museums or government agencies are of tremendous utility for illuminating the factors that shape the spatial distribution of the planet's biodiversity. However, these data were often collected under heterogeneous and opportunistic sampling designs and therefore likely contain significant sampling biases that change over time. Understanding historical biases is particularly important for aquatic vertebrates, where no studies of changes in sampling effort have yet been conducted. Here, we use a dataset of 276,138 records that span all freshwater fishes known to occur in North Carolina as a case study from which to highlight major shifts in collection trends that cause sample biases in datasets that aggregate historical records. We found evidence for three distinct phases of sampling over the last two centuries: (1) early sampling in the late 19th and early 20th century that was largely dominated by the research interests of a few "mega‐collectors"; (2) a mid‐20th century shift toward more widespread sampling; and (3) a major surge of sampling that corresponds to the rise of major environmental movements. We find each period possesses distinct phylogenetic and spatial biases. Moreover, these phases mirror trends in other spatial datasets that aggregate historical records spanning plants to terrestrial vertebrates, thereby suggesting that historical contingency and a temporal bias toward recent records are likely hallmarks of compiled historical datasets. Given that the pace of spatial data sampling continues to grow, our results strongly caution that the continued development of new models and methods to mitigate against bias‐driven statistical artifacts will be critical to effectively harnessing the power of historical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Historical records from museums or government agencies are of tremendous utility for illuminating the factors that shape the spatial distribution of the planet’s biodiversity. However, these data were often collected under heterogeneous and opportunistic sampling designs and therefore likely contain significant sampling biases that change over time. Understanding historical biases is particularly important for aquatic vertebrates, where no studies of changes in sampling effort have yet been conducted. Here, we use a dataset of 276,138 records that span all freshwater fishes known to occur in North Carolina as a case study from which to highlight major shifts in collection trends that cause sample biases in datasets that aggregate historical records. We found evidence for three distinct phases of sampling over the last two centuries: (1) early sampling in the late 19th and early 20th century that was largely dominated by the research interests of a few “mega‐collectors”; (2) a mid‐20th century shift toward more widespread sampling; and (3) a major surge of sampling that corresponds to the rise of major environmental movements. We find each period possesses distinct phylogenetic and spatial biases. Moreover, these phases mirror trends in other spatial datasets that aggregate historical records spanning plants to terrestrial vertebrates, thereby suggesting that historical contingency and a temporal bias toward recent records are likely hallmarks of compiled historical datasets. Given that the pace of spatial data sampling continues to grow, our results strongly caution that the continued development of new models and methods to mitigate against bias‐driven statistical artifacts will be critical to effectively harnessing the power of historical data.

Issue: Lot accession information from natural history collections represents a potentially vital source of large datasets to test biodiversity, biogeography and macroecology hypotheses. But does such information provide an accurate portrayal of the natural world? We review the many types of bias and error intrinsic to museum collection data and consider how these factors may affect their ability to accurately test ecological hypotheses. Evidence: We considered all Texas land snail collections from the two major repositories in the state and compared them with an ecological sample drawn across the same landscape. We found that museum collection localities were biased in favour of regions with higher human population densities and iconic destinations. They also tended to be made during attractive temporal windows. Small, uncharismatic taxa tended to be under‐collected while larger, charismatic species were over‐collected. As a result, for most species it was impossible to use museum lot frequency to accurately predict frequency and abundance in an ecological sample. Species misidentification rate was approximately 20%, while 4% of lots represented more than one species. Errors were spread across the entire shell size spectrum and were present in 75% of taxonomic families. Contingency table analysis documented significant dependence of both misidentification and mixed lot rates upon shell size and family richness. Conclusion: Researchers should limit their use of museum record data to situations where their inherent biases and errors are irrelevant, rectifiable or explicitly considered. At the same time museums should begin incorporating expert specimen verification into their digitization programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat species are facing increasing threats due to climate change, large-scale changes in vegetation, wind-power development, and white-nose syndrome, which make research on changes in bat communities essential for conservation planning in North America. The Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus) occurs throughout the southeastern United States, and recent evidence suggests they may be expanding their range in North America. I used museum records, publications, and data derived from mist-net surveys conducted by various individuals and organizations to determine changes in the seasonal and historical range of Seminole bats over the past 48 years across eastern North America. Based on records obtained, Seminole bats spend winter along the Gulf Coast, Carolinas, and southern Arkansas, but migrate as far north as Missouri and Kentucky during the summer maternity season. During the autumn juvenile-dispersal period, Seminole bats undergo widespread, long-distance movements and have been recorded in unexpected locations, including the Caribbean, Wisconsin, and New York. Over the past 48 years, the northern edge of their range has advanced 521 km and the western limit of their range has advanced 185 km, at a rate of approximately 11 km/year northward. These data suggest a recent and rapid shift northward, likely in response to climate change, and an expansion westward possibly due to changes in vegetation communities across historic grassland regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Rarity and life history traits inform multiple dimensions of intrinsic risk to climate and environmental change and can help systematically identify at-risk species. We quantified relative geographic rarity (area of occupancy), climate niche breadth, and life history traits for 114 freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Our approach leveraged presence-only, publicly available data and traits-based inference to evaluate area of occupancy, climate sensitivity (i.e., climate niche breadth), and a Rarity and Climate Sensitivity (RCS) index of all species across multiple geographic extents, grain sizes, and data types. The RCS index was relatively stable across extents, grains, and data types, with climate sensitivity differentiating species with otherwise similar areas of occupancy. We also found that species with sensitivity-associated traits (e.g., long generation time, low fecundity) were not necessarily the same species identified as at-risk with geographical approaches (small range size, small climate niche breadth). Many multispecies assessments using coarse-scale data (e.g., entire range maps or convex-hull approaches) often focus on a single dimension of intrinsic risk; others rely on data-intensive models only applicable to a few well-studied species. What remains is a need for an approach that enables multispecies, multidimensional assessment efforts. This is particularly true at regional scales, where management needs require assessments that are intermediate to coarse- and fine-scale approaches. We demonstrate that by considering multiple dimensions of intrinsic risk to climate change (range size, climate sensitivity, and traits), site-specific locality data may offer a pathway for ensuring vulnerable, understudied species do not go overlooked in conservation. Highlights • Rarity and climate sensitivity enable direct comparison of species intrinsic risk. • A combined functional and geographic approach is robust across scales and data type. • Life history traits complement geographic rarity in understanding regional species risk. • This approach can identify potentially vulnerable, but understudied, species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographic distribution of coyotes (Canis latrans) has dramatically expanded since 1900, spreading across much of North America in a period when most other mammal species have been declining. Although this considerable expansion has been well documented at the state/provincial scale, continent-wide descriptions of coyote spread have portrayed conflicting distributions for coyotes prior to the 1900s, with popularly referenced anecdotal accounts showing them restricted to the great plains, and more obscure, but data-rich accounts suggesting they ranged across the arid west. To provide a scientifically credible map of the coyote's historical range (10,000-300 BP) and describe their range expansion from 1900 to 2016, we synthesized archaeological and fossil records, museum specimens, peer-reviewed reports, and records from wildlife management agencies. Museum specimens confirm that coyotes have been present in the arid west and California throughout the Holocene, well before European colonization. Their range in the late 1800s was undistinguishable from earlier periods, and matched the distribution of non-forest habitat in the region. Coyote expansion began around 1900 as they moved north into taiga forests, east into deciduous forests, west into costal temperate rain forests, and south into tropical rainforests. Forest fragmentation and the extirpation of larger predators probably enabled these expansions. In addition, hybridization with wolves (C. lupus, C. lycaon, and/or C. rufus) and/or domestic dogs has been documented in the east, and suspected in the south. Our detailed account of the original range of coyotes and their subsequent expansion provides the core description of a large scale ecological experiment that can help us better understand the predator-prey interactions, as well as evolution through hybridization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We reviewed the spatiotemporal records for Ceratophrys aurita , Megaelosia spp., and Phantasmarana spp. in the Atlantic Forest. • The three taxa showed a pattern with populations declines in the decades of 1970 or 1980. • Fifty-one percent of evaluated populations are more than 50 years without recent records. • Recent records for C. aurita are restricted to less than 30 % of the historical sites of occurrence. • Historical spatiotemporal data may uncover species that needs immediate conservation actions. Amphibian populations are declining at unprecedented rates across the globe. Some declines occur in a short timeframe and are promptly detected, others are happening in a much slower pace, making them more difficult to detect. One approach that could revel these hidden declines is through analyses of individual historical records. Here, based on an extensive review including literature records, specimens deposited in scientific collections, and experts' personal communication, we reviewed all available spatiotemporal records of our three taxa of interest, Ceratophrys aurita , Megaelosia spp., and Phantasmarana spp., with predominant distribution in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a region with known amphibian population declines and extinctions. We found a sampling decline for Phantasmarana spp. in the decade of 1970, followed by concomitant declines for C. aurita and Megaelosia spp. during the 1980s. We found that these taxa were not resampled for more than 50 years in 50 % of the sites with historical records. Recent records for C. aurita are restricted to less than 30 % of its historical sites of occurrence. After the suggested declines, since 1990 all three taxa showed a certain level of sampling recovery, as it has been documented for populations of other anuran species in the Atlantic Forest. Our study reinforces the importance of species-focused exhaustive reviews to detect population fluctuation over time, one of the top priorities in animal conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the biodiversity of sponges within the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia (IMCRA) bioregions of the Pilbara using datasets amalgamated from the Western Australian Museum and the Atlas of Living Australia. The Pilbara accounts for a total of 1164 Linnean and morphospecies. A high level of "apparent endemism" was recorded with 78% of species found in only one of six bioregions, with less than 10% confirmed as widely distributed. The Ningaloo, Pilbara Nearshore and Pilbara Offshore bioregions are biodiversity hotspots (>250 species) and are recognised as having the highest conservation value, followed by North West Shelf containing 232 species. Species compositions differed between bioregions, with those that are less spatially separated sharing more species. Notably, the NorthWest Province bioregion (110 species) exhibited the most distinct species composition, highlighting it as a unique habitat within the Pilbara. While sponge biodiversity is apparently high, incomplete sampling effort for the region was identified, with only two sampling events recorded for the Central West Transition bioregion. Furthermore, only 15% of records in the dataset are presently described (Linnean) species, highlighting the continuing need for taxonomic expertise for the conservation and management of marine biodiversity resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human impact on the oceans predates scientific observation, which for many animal populations has captured only recent changes. Such a limited knowledge can hamper finding optimal management and conservation strategies including setting appropriate recovery targets. Sawfishes are among the most endangered marine vertebrates in the ocean. Historical human impacts have resulted in sawfish extinction in many coastal areas around the world; however, in the Mediterranean Sea, their past presence and possible extinction have been debated for decades. Recently, it was concluded that the region never hosted resident populations because of unsuitable environmental conditions. Through an extensive bibliographic and archival search and an extinction analysis, we reconstructed the history of sawfishes in the Mediterranean Sea. Between 1576 and 1959, there were 48 independent accounts of the occurrence of two sawfish species ( Pristis pristis, Pristidae and Pristis pectinata, Pristidae), including 24 documented catches. Sawfishes were mainly recorded in the western Mediterranean, in areas close to large rivers with light human impact. Most of the documented individuals were juveniles, suggesting local parturition. Extinction analyses yielded variable results and were affected by the sparseness of records but suggested that both species went extinct in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1960s-1970s. Our results challenge current assumptions on sawfish ecology and biogeography, offer new options for sawfish conservation in the Atlantic and highlight the importance of historical analyses for reconstructing ecosystem baselines and setting recovery targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent reports of pollinator declines have revealed a need to better document how anthropogenic disturbances and biogeography jointly influence wild pollinator communities. Here, we examine the effects of urbanization-induced habitat fragmentation on the native bee fauna inhabiting coastal sage scrub habitats of San Diego County, California, USA, a hotspot of bee biodiversity. Pitfall trapping in natural reserves and scrub habitat fragments yielded 70 native bee species or morphospecies, and revealed that bee species richness was lower in fragments than in reserves. However, fragments and reserves harbored bee assemblages similar in relative abundance, evenness, and community composition. Our samples yielded multiple species that are poorly represented in four of the leading institutions with collections of native bees from the southwestern United States, as well as 16 species represented only by specimen records from outside of San Diego County. Our results highlight the importance of continued efforts to document bee assemblages in under-studied regions with respect to their faunal distribution and basic taxonomy, as well as how they are impacted by anthropogenic disturbances such as habitat fragmentation. We also discuss the value of analyzing vouchered pitfall samples for non-target taxa captured incidentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One cannot help but think of museums when contemplating the history of archaeology. For those of us who work in museums, contact with past research and former ways of thinking about and doing archaeology happens on almost a daily basis. Not only do museum collections contain the information and things collected by older colleagues, these materials embody the thoughts, theories, methodologies, and techniques of these individuals and of the discipline's past paradigms. The records associated with museum collections are one major class of records made by archaeologists in the course of their research, and are distinct from scholar's personal papers. Museum records contain invaluable information for understanding not only the work of individual archaeologists, but detailed information on the practice of archaeology. Introspective studies of the discipline using museum records have the potential to significantly broaden our perspectives, especially regarding the conduct of field research, but getting access to these records is often a problem due to poor management.

Abstract: The effect of climate change on the phenology of plants and birds of eastern North America has been well studied in recent years, but insects have received less attention. In this study we investigated whether the response to climate warming of 10 short-lived butterfly species from the Lycaenidae family in Massachusetts is similar to responses seen in other taxonomic groups. We also determined the relative value of museum and citizen science data in ecological and conservation research, and how best to analyze these data. We obtained over 5000 records of butterflies in flight using museum collections (1893–1985) and citizen science data (1986–2009). We analyzed the data using linear regression models with sighting date as the response variable and temperature, precipitation, geographic location, and year as predictors. Temperature in the months during and prior to flight explained more variation in sighting date than the other predictors, with the average advance of flight date being 3.6days/°C. Statistical tests using the first 20% of observations of flight in a year explained much more variation than tests using all observations. The response of these butterfly species to temperature is similar to plant flowering and bee flight times and is significantly greater than bird arrival times, suggesting the possibility of trophic mismatches. Citizen science data were more abundant and useful than museum data for studying climate change effects on butterflies. Conservation biologists and ecologists will need to develop innovative statistical techniques to deal with the sampling issues associated with citizen science data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We reassess whether range shifts in marine organisms are occurring in a direction predicted by causation due to climate using two different methods: a global meta-analysis and a regional analysis of museum records focussing on marine molluscs. Globally we used rigorous selection criteria to investigate studies describing range shifts in marine organisms, including exclusion of single-species studies and those that inferred range shifts through shifting abundance. For each species meeting these criteria (311 species from 13 studies), the distance in kilometres moved per year was calculated, and life history characteristics such as mobility, habitat, dispersal potential and trophic level were recorded to assess if these were linked to the shifts. We also examined the potential correlation between changing sea surface temperatures and range shifts. Regionally we analysed the intertidal mollusc collection of the Australian Museum and Museum of Victoria and consulted with mollusc experts to determine if museum records could be used to detect range shifts in marine invertebrates. The global meta-analysis showed that individual species shifted on average 8.9 km polewards per year. Range shifts were not significantly related to temperature change or life history characteristics with the exception of intertidal and nearshore subtidal fauna showing poleward shifts (6.8 and 14.3 km per decade, respectively) and shelf fauna showing a slight equatorial shift (2.7 km per decade). Our regional analysis showed that 54 of the 634 mollusc species examined shifted their range into or out of the well-surveyed Sydney region. However, closer examination by mollusc experts revealed that the evidence for these shifts was unreliable, and we conclude that caution is required when using museum records in range shift studies. Overall, our study supports previous research showing a poleward shift in response to climate change, although this is an order of magnitude less than values reported in the only other meta-analysis on marine range shifts, possibly owing to the strict selection criteria applied here. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The probability and time of extinction of taxa is often inferred from statistical analyses of historical records. Many of these analyses require the exclusion of multiple records within a unit of time (i.e., a month or a year). Nevertheless, spatially explicit, temporally aggregated data may be useful for identifying clusters of sightings (i.e., sighting clusters) in space and time. Identification of sighting clusters highlights changes in the historical recording of endangered taxa. I used two methods to identify sighting clusters in historical records: the Ederer-Myers-Mantel (EMM) test and the space-time permutation scan (STPS). I applied these methods to the spatially explicit sighting records of three species of orchids that are listed as endangered in the Republic of Ireland under the Wildlife Act (1976): Cephalanthera longifolia, Hammarbya paludosa, and Pseudorchis albida . Results with the EMM test were strongly affected by the choice of the time interval, and thus the number of temporal samples, used to examine the records. For example, sightings of P. albida clustered when the records were partitioned into 20-year temporal samples, but not when they were partitioned into 22-year temporal samples. Because the statistical power of EMM was low, it will not be useful when data are sparse. Nevertheless, the STPS identified regions that contained sighting clusters because it uses a flexible scanning window (defined by cylinders of varying size that move over the study area and evaluate the likelihood of clustering) to detect them, and it identified regions with high and regions with low rates of orchid sightings. The STPS analyses can be used to detect sighting clusters of endangered species that may be related to regions of extirpation and may assist in the categorization of threat status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavated artefacts that have clear contextual records are much more informative than those that have none. Twelve distinctive pins found scattered across a site might be taken to indicate that they were common among the people who lived there. However, if the pins were known to have been found together then a range of different interpretations might come to mind drawing information from the context in which they were found. In interpreting artefacts, understanding the find context is every bit as important as understanding the physical properties of the objects themselves. Contextual information however, may be hard to come by in the archives, or hard to understand for researchers without prior knowledge of the site. It ought to be possible to archive archaeological object and site information in such a way that researchers can navigate between artefacts, contexts, site plans and photographs. This paper proposes information groupings that might be created relatively simply in the excavation, post-excavation or archiving process in order to make research information more easily accessible than it is at present. Some changes in practice will be very simple. Others may not be so easy or so cheap, but if we do not do all that we can to create archaeological archives that are intellectually accessible then we fail the public we serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Knowledge of the distribution of a species is fundamental to understanding the species’ biology, and changes in known distribution may reflect response to environmental change. However, in many cases, purported range expansions are not adequately justified and extra-limital records may simply reflect previously undocumented populations. Thus, it is critical to distinguish between these hypotheses. This study aimed to provide a simple, conceptual framework for evaluating these hypotheses that depends on the use of museum background data to assess the adequacy of historical sampling. Location American Southwest and worldwide. Methods Background data are records of species other than the taxon of interest that are likely to be documented using the same sampling methods. If evaluation of the background group determines that the taxon of interest would have been documented if present, then the extra-limital record can be considered a range expansion. Conversely, if evaluation of the background group indicates that historical sampling was inadequate to have documented the taxon of interest, then the most parsimonious explanation for the extra-limital record is an undocumented population, which should be presented as a range extension. As an example, I applied the methods to a purported range expansion of the yellow-nosed cotton rat ( Sigmodon ochrognathus) in the Rincon Mountains in south-eastern Arizona. Results Evaluation of the background group revealed that sampling was inadequate to have documented S. ochrognathus in the Rincon Mountains if present. Thus, the record of S. ochrognathus in the Rincon Mountains was interpreted as a previously undocumented population rather than a range expansion. Main conclusion Range expansions can reflect factors that are of important conservation concern, such as climate change or habitat modification. Thus, it is essential that the cause of extra-limital records be accurately interpreted. The method provides a simple means for testing between hypotheses of range extension and range expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]