Post on 22-Dec-2015
transcript
What is biodiversity?A. A term describing the organic/whole
food movement (926813)
B. Workforce diversification (926814)
C. Agricultural plans to shift from
monoculture crops (926815)
D. The totality of life on Earth (926816)
NOTE: Text keyword to 22333
Global Biodiversity Map showing distribution of some of the most highly valued terrestrialbiodiversity worldwide (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, seed plants) for equal area gridcells with red for high and blue for low biodiversity
How many major mass extinction events has Earth’s biota already suffered?
A. 1 (981447)
B. 5 (981448)
C. 12 (981449)
D. 26 (981450)
NOTE: Text keyword to 22333
Which of the following probably does NOT represent a major threat to biodiversity?
A. Climate change (927116)
B. Invasive species (927117)
C. Capital campaigns (927118)
D. Habitat degradation (927119)
NOTE: Text keyword to 22333
Biodiversity Crisis & Societal Problems Climate change
Loss of biodiversity Emerging pathogens Invasive species Threats to food security Environmentally induced health issues
Solving these biodiversity-centered problemsrequires concentrated attention
from diverse perspectives
Biodiversity Initiative: Why UF?
• Florida is a biologically hyper-diverse region• World-class natural history museum• Comprehensive, diverse campus expertise
in environmental & conservation science
20092008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
2009: Biodiversity concept developed / Great Recession impact Conceptual
discussions with top prospects. UF cuts budgets in response to recession
20092008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
2013: Conceptual discussions with top prospects. Begin discussion with Provost to evaluate timing and interest. Meeting with
Provost and SVP Research to evaluate interest
20092008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
2014: Biodiversity Visioning Session. Meeting with UF & college/unit leadership. Meeting with faculty/researchers interested in biodiversity.
Data collection to analyze interest across campus. Plan submitted to UF leadership for
review.
Biodiversity CollectionsThe Library of Life
Florida Museum of Natural History
40 Million Specimens
2nd Largest University Museum Collection in U.S.
www.idigbio.org
National center for digitization of biodiversity collections
Collaboration among FLMNH, Engineering, & FSU: ~$12M
Coordinate digitization and databasing of US collections
Ingest, serve, integrate data:Localities
DatesImages
134 institutionsin 49 statesTen TCNS and collaborating institutions: 152
institutions in 50 states
HUB
New Opportunities New collaborations to address biodiversity grand
challenges related to: Human health, agriculture, species discovery and extinction,
ecosystem services, etc.
Big Data: Build on recent programs, iDigBio Link to Informatics Institute, Preeminence hires Established record of federal funding Private/corporate/foundation support