Natural history
"The direct observation and interpretation of the natural world." – Chris Lay, Curator of the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History, UC Santa Cruz
|
Natural history museum
An institution providing natural history exhibits for the public, a home to collections, and a place of research for resident and visiting scientists.
|
Specimen
A preserved animal, plant, alga, microbial sample, fossil, mineral, cultural artifact, artwork...
In a natural history collection the possibilities are vast – from mammal skins to pinned insects to frozen tissue samples used for genetic analyses to historical shark tooth weapons from the Gilbert Islands! |
Photo credit: Drew J, Philipp C, Westneat MW (2013) Shark Tooth Weapons from the 19th Century Reflect Shifting Baselines in Central Pacific Predator Assemblies. PLoS ONE 8(4): e59855. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059855
|
There are an estimated 1 BILLION specimens in North American museum collections alone and 3 BILLION specimens worldwide (iDigBio.org)
|
As part of my graduate research I have begun to investigate morphological variation and pelage color in an African small mammal – the four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus).
Sengis are small insectivores endemic to Africa, commonly referred to as 'elephant shrews' due to their long flexible noses and shrew-like appearance. However, sengis are members of the mammalian radiation Afrotheria – an amazing evolutionary lineage that diverged from other mammals approximately 100 million years ago. Other members of Afrotheria include elephants, manatees, hyraxes, aardvarks, golden moles, and tenrecs. There are 19 currently recognized species of sengi including P. tetradactylus, of which there are 10 subspecies. Variations in morphology, coloration, and tail bristles are apparent among P. tetradactylus specimens that were collected across the range, and we can use these specimens to answer some basic but important questions about P. tetradactylus ecology and evolution: 1. Are phenotypic traits correlated with environmental variables (e.g., tree cover, temperature, precipitation)? 2. Do variations in traits coincide with the way subspecies are currently delimited or divided up? How does this compare to genetic variation across the range? 3. Is P. tetradactylus still best described as a single species, or should some subspecies be elevated to full species status? And how will this affect their conservation? |
|
|
Materials checklist:
|
Setting things up and getting a decent photo...
More soon!
|
Suggested camera settings
|