Building a High-Resolution, Specimen-Based Picture of Life:
Possibilities and Challenges Gries, Corinna , Gilbert, Edward ,
Nash III , Thomas H . Digitizing 'all' North American lichen and
bryophyte specimens: 2.3 million specimens, 65 institutions, 1
year later. The recently funded NSF-Advancing Digitization of
Biological Collections (ADBC) Thematic Collections Network (TCN)
project aims to digitize ca.2.3 million North American lichen
and bryophyte specimens from over 60collections representing
well over 90% of the remaining North American specimens from
Canada, the United States and Mexico. On-line availability of
nearly the entire North American bryophyte and lichen
collections will greatly accelerate knowledge and evaluation of
the biodiversity of these organisms by fostering collaborations
between professionals and the general public. Lichens and
bryophytes share important traits, which make them some of the
most sensitive indicators of environmental change. The specific
goal of this project is to provi