Nature’s Stories Preserved in Museums: The value and utility of Natural History Collections for Ecology, Biogeography, and Biodiversity.
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Authors
Villamarin-Cortez, Edgar Santiago
Issue Date
2022
Type
Dissertation
Language
Keywords
Agroforestry , Coloration , Digitation , Natural history collections , Natural history museums , Species Distribution
Alternative Title
Abstract
Natural history collections are hosed in very important institutions called museums, and they play an essential role in documenting species and to let people be educated about ecology, biogeography, and conservation processes. Through the use and digitation of collections, I worked on projects that utilized digitized data using scientific collections from Ecuador and the US (UNRMNH and the McGuire Center) to examine traits related to thermoregulation processes. I also examined land use and habitat change of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) across different gradients based on museum specimens. I have identified the main variables influencing dung beetle distribution in Ecuador based on a niche model, finding also high turnover levels in functional groups at larger scales, suggesting that dung beetles show high levels of habitat specialization in Ecuador, providing an essential framework for evaluating potential dung beetle habitat and diversity at different scales. We also implemented an analysis to determine if agroforestry systems support biodiversity in the tropics, using Dung Bettles as a model, we determined that agroforestry production systems are potentially important for maintenance of insect species richness and ecosystem functioning and could be viable alternative conservation systems and biological corridors. Also, by using digitation methods I was able to determine that western Skippers (Hesperiidae) do not follow Bogert’s rule which states that dark coloration in ectotherms becomes beneficial when ambient temperatures are low, allowing faster heating rates and higher body temperatures than in lighter‐colored individuals; instead, their color could be an immune response or crypsis for predator protection. The same digitation methos allowed me to create a workflow for specimens at the UNRMNH that provides a framework for efficient and faster digitization protocols.