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. 2022 Apr 19;20(4):e3001613.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001613. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Declining growth of natural history collections fails future generations

Vanya G Rohwer  1 , Yasha Rohwer  2 , Casey B Dillman  1
Affiliations

Declining growth of natural history collections fails future generations

Vanya G Rohwer et al. PLoS Biol. .

Abstract

New additions of vertebrate specimens to natural history collections are declining in the midst of widespread and accelerating environmental change. Reversing these trends in collecting efforts is essential for addressing future unforeseen ecological issues.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Growth of natural history collections through time using the subset of the world’s collections available through GBIF.
(A) Broad fluctuations exist across 5 vertebrate groups in the number of specimens added to natural history museums since 1840. (B) Recent declines in collections growth from 1990 to 2021. (C) GBIF includes collections from over 60 countries, but many collections are based in the United States of America. Colored bars indicate the proportion of USA-based collections for each vertebrate group, which represent 25% to 42% of data. GBIF, Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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