Applications in Plant Sciences (Mar 2025)
The PteridoPortal: A publicly accessible collection of over three million records of extant and extinct pteridophytes
- Carl J. Rothfels,
- Jaemin Lee,
- Michael A. Sundue,
- Alan R. Smith,
- Amy Kasameyer,
- Joyce Gross,
- Garth Holman,
- Shusheng Hu,
- Matt von Konrat,
- Emily B. Sessa,
- Kimberly Watson,
- Alan Weakley,
- Libing Zhang,
- Patricia Gensel,
- Michael Hassler,
- Katelin D. Pearson,
- Ed Gilbert,
- Robyn J. Burnham,
- Richard K. Rabeler,
- Patrick Sweeney,
- Alejandra Vasco,
- Weston Testo,
- David E. Giblin,
- Stefanie M. Ickert‐Bond,
- Margaret Landis,
- Melanie Link‐Perez,
- Tatyana Livshultz,
- Ian Miller,
- Christopher Neefus,
- Kathleen Pigg,
- Mitchell Power,
- Alan Prather,
- Tiana Rehman,
- Lena Struwe,
- Michael Vincent,
- George Weiblen,
- Timothy Whitfeld,
- Michael D. Windham,
- George Yatskievych,
- Aaron Liston,
- Elizabeth Makings,
- Kathleen M. Pryer,
- Caroline Strömberg,
- Eve Atri,
- Jason Best,
- Ian Glasspool,
- Layne Huiet,
- Elizabeth Johnson,
- Megan R. King,
- Az Klymiuk,
- Richard Lupia,
- Lucas C. Majure,
- Carol Ann McCormick,
- Richard McCourt,
- Shanna Oberreiter,
- Kent D. Perkins,
- Yarency Rodriguez,
- Chelsea Smith,
- James Solomon,
- Jordan Teisher,
- Donna Ford‐Werntz,
- Petra Fuehrding‐Potschkat,
- Holly Little,
- Tom A. Ranker,
- Eric Schuettpelz,
- Carrie M. Tribble,
- Diane M. Erwin,
- Cindy V. Looy
Affiliations
- Carl J. Rothfels
- Ecology Center and Department of Biology Utah State University Logan 84322 Utah USA
- Jaemin Lee
- Department of Integrative Biology University of California, Berkeley Berkeley 94720 California USA
- Michael A. Sundue
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Edinburgh EH3 5LR United Kingdom
- Alan R. Smith
- University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley 94720 California USA
- Amy Kasameyer
- University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley 94720 California USA
- Joyce Gross
- Berkeley Natural History Museums University of California, Berkeley Berkeley 94720 California USA
- Garth Holman
- University Herbarium, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) University of Michigan Ann Arbor 48108 Michigan USA
- Shusheng Hu
- Division of Paleobotany Yale Peabody Museum New Haven 06511 Connecticut USA
- Matt von Konrat
- Gantz Family Collections Center Botanical Collections, Field Museum of Natural History Chicago 60605 Illinois USA
- Emily B. Sessa
- William & Lynda Steere Herbarium New York Botanical Garden Bronx 10458 New York USA
- Kimberly Watson
- William & Lynda Steere Herbarium New York Botanical Garden Bronx 10458 New York USA
- Alan Weakley
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium North Carolina Botanical Garden Chapel Hill 27599 North Carolina USA
- Libing Zhang
- Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis 63110 Missouri USA
- Patricia Gensel
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina Chapel Hill 27599 North Carolina USA
- Michael Hassler
- WorldPlants Weiherbergstr. 77 Bruchsal D 76646 Germany
- Katelin D. Pearson
- KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum University of Kansas Lawrence 66045 Kansas USA
- Ed Gilbert
- KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum University of Kansas Lawrence 66045 Kansas USA
- Robyn J. Burnham
- University Herbarium, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) University of Michigan Ann Arbor 48108 Michigan USA
- Richard K. Rabeler
- University Herbarium, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) University of Michigan Ann Arbor 48108 Michigan USA
- Patrick Sweeney
- Division of Botany, Yale Peabody Museum New Haven 06511 Connecticut USA
- Alejandra Vasco
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas Fort Worth 76107 Texas USA
- Weston Testo
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas Fort Worth 76107 Texas USA
- David E. Giblin
- University of Washington Herbarium, Burke Museum Seattle 98195 Washington USA
- Stefanie M. Ickert‐Bond
- Herbarium, University of Alaska Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks 99775 Alaska USA
- Margaret Landis
- Sam Noble Museum University of Oklahoma Norman 73072 Oklahoma USA
- Melanie Link‐Perez
- Wisconsin State Herbarium University of Wisconsin Madison 53706 Wisconsin USA
- Tatyana Livshultz
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Philadelphia 19118 Pennsylvania USA
- Ian Miller
- National Geographic Society Washington 20036 D.C. USA
- Christopher Neefus
- Department of Biological Sciences University of New Hampshire Durham 03824 New Hampshire USA
- Kathleen Pigg
- Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center (BioKIC), School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe 85287 Arizona USA
- Mitchell Power
- Garrett Herbarium, Natural History Museum of Utah University of Utah Salt Lake City 84108 Utah USA
- Alan Prather
- MSU Herbarium, Department of Plant Biology Michigan State University East Lansing 48824 Michigan USA
- Tiana Rehman
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas Fort Worth 76107 Texas USA
- Lena Struwe
- Chrysler Herbarium Rutgers University New Brunswick 08901 New Jersey USA
- Michael Vincent
- W.S. Turrell Herbarium, Department of Biology Miami University Oxford 45056 Ohio USA
- George Weiblen
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology University of Minnesota St. Paul 55455 Minnesota USA
- Timothy Whitfeld
- Bell Museum University of Minnesota St. Paul 55455 Minnesota USA
- Michael D. Windham
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham 27708 North Carolina USA
- George Yatskievych
- Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center University of Texas at Austin Austin 78712 Texas USA
- Aaron Liston
- Department of Botany & Plant Pathology Oregon State University Corvallis 97333 Oregon USA
- Elizabeth Makings
- Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium, Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center (BioKIC), School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University Tempe 85287 Arizona USA
- Kathleen M. Pryer
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham 27708 North Carolina USA
- Caroline Strömberg
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture University of Washington Seattle 98195 Washington USA
- Eve Atri
- Gantz Family Collections Center Botanical Collections, Field Museum of Natural History Chicago 60605 Illinois USA
- Jason Best
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas Fort Worth 76107 Texas USA
- Ian Glasspool
- Field Museum of Natural History Chicago 60605 Illinois USA
- Layne Huiet
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham 27708 North Carolina USA
- Elizabeth Johnson
- University of Arizona, Coconino County Cooperative Extension Flagstaff 86004 Arizona USA
- Megan R. King
- Chrysler Herbarium Rutgers University New Brunswick 08901 New Jersey USA
- Az Klymiuk
- Field Museum of Natural History Chicago 60605 Illinois USA
- Richard Lupia
- Sam Noble Museum University of Oklahoma Norman 73072 Oklahoma USA
- Lucas C. Majure
- University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville 32611 Florida USA
- Carol Ann McCormick
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium North Carolina Botanical Garden Chapel Hill 27599 North Carolina USA
- Richard McCourt
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Philadelphia 19118 Pennsylvania USA
- Shanna Oberreiter
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium North Carolina Botanical Garden Chapel Hill 27599 North Carolina USA
- Kent D. Perkins
- University of Florida Herbarium, Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville 32611 Florida USA
- Yarency Rodriguez
- Gantz Family Collections Center Botanical Collections, Field Museum of Natural History Chicago 60605 Illinois USA
- Chelsea Smith
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University Philadelphia 19118 Pennsylvania USA
- James Solomon
- Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis 63110 Missouri USA
- Jordan Teisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis 63110 Missouri USA
- Donna Ford‐Werntz
- WVA Herbarium, Department of Biology West Virginia University Morgantown 26506 West Virginia USA
- Petra Fuehrding‐Potschkat
- Herbarium, University of Alaska Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks 99775 Alaska USA
- Holly Little
- Department of Paleobiology National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington 20560 D.C. USA
- Tom A. Ranker
- University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, School of Life Sciences Honolulu 96822 Hawai'i USA
- Eric Schuettpelz
- Department of Botany National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington 20560 D.C. USA
- Carrie M. Tribble
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture University of Washington Seattle 98195 Washington USA
- Diane M. Erwin
- University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley 94720 California USA
- Cindy V. Looy
- Department of Integrative Biology University of California, Berkeley Berkeley 94720 California USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aps3.70003
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 13,
no. 2
pp. n/a – n/a
Abstract
Abstract Premise Pteridophytes—vascular land plants that disperse by spores—are a powerful system for studying plant evolution, particularly with respect to the impact of abiotic factors on evolutionary trajectories through deep time. However, our ability to use pteridophytes to investigate such questions—or to capitalize on the ecological and conservation‐related applications of the group—has been impaired by the relative isolation of the neo‐ and paleobotanical research communities and by the absence of large‐scale biodiversity data sources. Methods Here we present the Pteridophyte Collections Consortium (PCC), an interdisciplinary community uniting neo‐ and paleobotanists, and the associated PteridoPortal, a publicly accessible online portal that serves over three million pteridophyte records, including herbarium specimens, paleontological museum specimens, and iNaturalist observations. We demonstrate the utility of the PteridoPortal through discussion of three example PteridoPortal‐enabled research projects. Results The data within the PteridoPortal are global in scope and are queryable in a flexible manner. The PteridoPortal contains a taxonomic thesaurus (a digital version of a Linnaean classification) that includes both extant and extinct pteridophytes in a common phylogenetic framework. The PteridoPortal allows applications such as greatly accelerated classic floristics, entirely new “next‐generation” floristic approaches, and the study of environmentally mediated evolution of functional morphology across deep time. Discussion The PCC and PteridoPortal provide a comprehensive resource enabling novel research into plant evolution, ecology, and conservation across deep time, facilitating rapid floristic analyses and other biodiversity‐related investigations, and providing new opportunities for education and community engagement.
Keywords
- Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) program
- Equisetum
- ferns
- flora of Colombia
- flora of Venezuela
- fossil classification
