Projects

Imaging of the African type specimens of the Herbarium of Coimbra - COI

Coordinator - Fátima Sales
Programme - ALUKA - MELLON
Execution dates - 01/02/2006 - 31/12/2007
Funding Entity - Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Participating Institutions -
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

The Herbarium of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra, Portugal, holds c. 2.000 African type specimens of vascular plants clearly labelled in red covers. Our proposal is to digitize and database those type specimens already identified in our African collection, plus to digitize the uncertain number of types not clearly labelled at the moment in the Herbarium. In fact, we are aware that, apart from the clearly marked types, there is a significant number with only a small label inside the red cover of the specimen. Such specimens should also be dealt with in this project. To trace these specimens a thorough search must made trough done to the entire African collection. This will require extra work and time. We expect to take 2 years part-time work to digitize the clearly marked types, plus tracing the extant types and digitising them.

10/4/2007

GRASSES - Multidisciplinary investigation on higher altitudinal grasses; emphasis on taxonomic status and conservation

Coordinator - Fátima Sales
Programme - POCTI
Execution dates - 01/05/2005 - 30/4/2008
Funding Entity - FCT
Participating Institutions -
Departamento de Botânica, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Coimbra; IAV-Instituto do Ambiente e Vida; IMAR-Instituto do Mar, Coimbra; CISE-Centro de Interpretação da Serra da Estrela; PNSE-Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela

The project has a multidisciplinary approach to the grasses of higher altitudes (above 1400 m) of the Natural Park of Serra da Estrela, PNSE, (to 1998 m), central Portugal. It involves:
FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE:
Poaceae is a taxonomically difficult family and keys for identification are not user-friendly. In Portugal the family is large (c. 273 species) and the PNSE is an ideal area for the study of it. Among other reasons, the PNSE has relevant endemics and challenging ecological problems due to recent fires. Representative sites for grass diversity will be under scrutiny. Innovative approaches will be used in the taxonomic treatment of the family: (i) user-friendly multi-access keys (ii) use of orbicules as new characters, and (iii) differential colonisation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The full taxonomic investigation of the grasses in the PNSE will be undertaken and their status assessed in the context of the future Flora iberica account of the Poaceae. A book will be published on the high altitude grasses of the PNSE.
APPLIED SCIENCE:
Recent studies have reported that AMF communities enhance productivity and plant diversity in grassland communities. The biogenetic reserves recently destroyed by fire need diversity restoration. Grasses will be collected from (i) the area in the central parts of the fire, (ii) in non-burnt adjacent areas and (iii) in the interface area. Index of AMF colonization in grasses and the diversity of AMF spores in soil will be evaluated. These are expected to be bioindicators that may help regional policy makers to design a grassland restoration programme.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION:
Exchange of knowledge between the University (IAV) and the community is to be encouraged for the desirable outcomes in strengthening the scientific and social structure of the country. The information gathered during this project will be disseminated via: a site in the Internet, seminars, guided walks, booklets, leaflets and slide-show (diaporama). We hope these proposed activities to stimulate local innovation and to encourage a healthy establishment of the population in the countryside.

http://www.uc.pt/grasses

Coordinator - Fátima Sales
Programme - ALUKA
Execution dates - 01/02/2005 - 31/1/2007
Funding Entity - Mellon Foundation, U.S.A.
Participating Institutions -
Departamento de Botânica, FCTUC

Herbarium of University of Coimbra Online

Coordinator - Fátima Sales
Programme - POSC
Execution dates - 01/01/2005 - 28/2/2007
Funding Entity - POSC & FCTUC
Participating Institutions -
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

The use of planet resources has reached a critical point. It is estimated in 60.000-100.000 the threatened plant species worldwide. Awareness of this problem lead to global initiatives that promote the study of life and the assembling of knowledge in databases integrated in global networks. The Herbarium of the University of Coimbra (COI) has been a place of excellence for the study of plant taxonomy in Portugal and combines privileged facilities and collections for the study of the Portuguese flora and that of the ex-colonies. We propose to make available for free in the Internet information on the herbarium material relatively to the plant families not yet studied in Flora iberica, eds S. Castroviejo et al. (Madrid), a project of which COI is a contributor herbarium. This will facilitate the regular consultation of the information at COI by the scientific community in general and by the collaborators of that project. The final objective is an online structure with the information of all the c. 700.000 herbarium specimens of COI. This project also has a component of multimedia educational outputs in wide-band Internet which will add an educational slant to the access of the herbarium and its collections.

Coordinator - Fátima Sales
Programme - ALUKA-Mellon Foundation, U.S.A.
Execution dates - 06/04/2004 - 1/1/2006
Funding Entity - Mellon Foundation, U.S.A.
Participating Institutions -
Departamento de Botânica da FCTUC