History, Present Status, and Future Prospects of Avian Eggshell Collections in North America Author(S): Lloyd F
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History, Present Status, and Future Prospects of Avian Eggshell Collections in North America Author(s): Lloyd F. Kiff Source: The Auk, 122(3):994-999. 2005. Published By: The American Ornithologists' Union DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[0994:HPSAFP]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1642/0004-8038%282005%29122%5B0994%3AHPSAFP %5D2.0.CO%3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Commentary The Auk 122(3):966–971, 2005 © The American Ornithologists’ Union, 2005. Printed in USA. Bird Collections: Development and Use of represent the original “big science” expendi- a Scientifi c Resource.—Bird collections were tures in the life sciences, antedating by cen- founded and built during the heyday of global turies large contemporary endeavors such as exploration. The mission of these collections genome projects. Long-term investments in the through most of their history has been to docu- development and maintenance of collections ment avian diversity and its distribution and to have produced a resource equivalent in many serve as a resource for research and education. respects to the mega-science facilities found in As bird collections became established and grew, other disciplines (e.g. large telescopes or super- ornithology itself became a scientifi c discipline colliders). A key diff erence is that this resource and broadly expanded its purview. Today, there has a useful lifespan that greatly exceeds that of are more professional ornithologists than at any mechanical facilities. Bird collections need to be time in history, and collections-related research viewed as a highly versatile and indispensable represents only a small portion of the discipline. resource integral to the continued successful This is healthy. Collections are but one means (and economical) pursuit of a wide range of through which we study birds. But we cannot be subjects. Importantly, these subjects are no lon- lulled into a view that the day of the collection is ger restricted to ornithology. past—a decided risk when fewer ornithologists Unlike other, contemporary “big science” have direct experience either with collections projects, biological collections establish an or with the multidimensional strengths that a object legacy—continuing sources of data that collections-based approach brings to science. are repeatedly tapped to provide answers to Too li le a ention has been paid to the role of questions about birds and environmental con- bird collections in science. This role is changing. ditions. Many of these questions were not even Because we understand avian diversity be er imagined by those who have built these collec- than that of most other classes of organisms, tions. Indeed, as the ways in which museum the central goal for establishing bird collections specimens are used multiplies with conceptual, would seem to be largely accomplished. As any- technological, and environmental changes, it one studying avian diversity knows, however, is clear that we need to refocus on how best to much remains to be done: systematics, pa erns continue developing this resource. and processes of diff erentiation, and geographic variation in birds remain vigorous areas of new Sujhnrjsx fsi Shnjshj ymwtzlm Tnrj learning. But while those of us close to collections remain connected to these important questions, Mismatches in temporal relevance.—The classic to others what we do is increasingly arcane. analogy that natural history collections are like AV er all (tongue in cheek), isn’t there already libraries invites direct comparisons between a fi eld guide? To an undiscriminating public, specimens and books. There is some mate- much of this work would seem to be done once rial similarity to these objects; old books and a fi eld guide appears. And, indeed, explorations bird skins are products of animal skin and at that level in most regions are largely complete. plant materials. With care, books can easily But in other respects the scientifi c strengths of last for many centuries, and a useful lifespan collections-based research are blossoming—with of more than a millennium is likely. Eff ective no end in sight to the fruits that can be borne. preservation of bird skins has been practiced Bird collections are probably the strongest for only about two centuries, but the skins will and most dependable shared resource in clearly last far longer. Beyond simple object ornithology. Biological collections in general comparisons, consider use: it is routine in 966 July 2005] Commentary 967 collections-based work to use specimens 100 “Arrogance of the present.”—The scientifi c capa- years old or older, and historical specimens are bilities and accomplishments of today are truly increasingly used to conduct retrospective stud- impressive when compared with those of yester- ies—research asking questions about changes year. But this will be equally true in the future, in birds and the environments they live(d) in. when the accomplishments of today will be over- As time passes, preserved specimens increase shadowed by those of our successors. Thus, to in scientifi c value. By contrast, the value of be er serve our science, we should consider how journal articles and books we produce today we might contribute to a future 50 or 100 years will be relatively short-lived (see ISI Journal from now. What do we have that they will not? Citation Reports; www.isinet.com); aV er only a A key asset of the present is access to a biota that few decades most of our papers will no longer is still probably half intact. There is strong evi- directly contribute to science. Thus, in terms dence that passing samples of this biota forward of utility and relevance, these two products a to future researchers is one of the most eff ective researcher can leave behind—specimens and ways to contribute to the accomplishments of publications—have strikingly diff erent trajec- future science, and that archiving specimens tories. Publications are important. But the long- will enhance the eff ectiveness of future wildlife term scientifi c value of specimens is widely management and conservation (e.g. through the underappreciated, and we probably place too growing importance of retrospective studies). much emphasis on producing publications, the more ephemeral of the two products that we Gtnsl Ftw|fwi might leave as our scientifi c legacy. “Biological fi lter paper.”—Just as historical Collections are helping to answer widely anthropogenic objects like books refl ect changes important questions about birds and our shared in human history, so too can preserved specimens environments, and meeting the needs of users enable us to appreciate and measure changes. is a central purpose of a collection. As the user One of the most important developments in col- community grows, so too should support and lections-based science is the retrospective study, participation in continued collections develop- a very powerful approach for assessing changes ment. And the strengths of collections must be in populations and environments. Specimens considered broadly, separately from individual document life in three dimensions: geographic research programs. space (locality), biodiversity space (taxonomy), With increasing frequency, specimen loan and time (date). The last dimension is becom- requests ask diff erent questions of preserved ing increasingly important, because historical material than the questions for which that mate- samples enable us to enlist this strong analytic rial was originally preserved (e.g. feather pluck- approach to measure and understand change. ing of skins for genetic, isotopic, or contaminant Probably the broadest reward this science brings analyses, and disease screening of genetic sam- to society as a whole is through the increasing ples). In fact, one cannot predict what question, use of specimens as “biological fi lter paper,” specimen type, or taxon the next loan request documenting “experiments” in the environments will hit upon. This is a double-edged sword: it in which these animals lived. In many studies, a reassures us that collections are broadly useful, species or genus is chosen because it represents an but it suggests that collections growth is becom- important trophic level at which to measure bio- ing increasingly out of touch with collections- accumulation or magnifi cation of contaminants. based science. As the array of possible uses has These measurements have profound implications increased, our ability to foresee what the speci- for humans and the natural resources we man- men needs of tomorrow will be has declined. age, and these studies repeatedly demonstrate There is li le doubt that there will be need, that historical samples are crucial. Birds are excel- however. Important questions about changes in lent bioindicators of environmental conditions, populations and environments will expand the and bird specimens should continue to be at the need for specimens, and adequate sample sizes forefront of this fi eld. Continued acquisition of from today will be required. new specimens should be seen as a priority. The So it is clear that the resource itself must time dimension can be studied only with contin- continue to be developed. Collections were ued sampling of the avifauna.