Natural
History Collections
Primary data that document the
“what,”
“where,” and “when” of Life on Earth
Natural
history collections constitute the primary data that document the “what,”
“where,” and “when” of
Life on Earth and therefore have a critical role to play in the conservation
and sustainable use of
biodiversity. Principal knowledge of
biological diversity emanates from the study of natural history collections by taxonomists. Plant taxonomists utilize herbarium
specimens to erect taxonomic
frameworks within which species are defined, circumscribed, and delimited from
related species. In addition to portraying the limits of
variability of individual species, those herbarium specimens deemed representative of a given
species also constitute the primary occurrence data that collectively depict the verifiable (i.e.,
vouchered) geographical range of the species.