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Comments on Seaweeds Compiled by Robert Andersen 1. Can seaweeds be collected by parataxonomists? Short answer; No - (Guiry, Millar, O'Kelly, Saunders); Fredericq (Yes) 2. What are the traditional methods for preserving and archiving specimens? Pressing seaweeds immediately onto herbarium sheets is the most routine approach. This can be carried out by parataxonomists, but seaweeds must be pressed and dried quickly or there will be fungal problems. Formalin preservation is good for morphology but no good for DNA; 70-95% ethanol is used for preserving DNA but less good for morphology; silica gel is used for DNA but it is no good for morphology. 3. What type of museum space or herbarium space is necessary? Herbarium cabinets? Glass jars? Cryovials stored in liquid nitrogen? Herbarium cabinets for necessary for storing dried specimens. Shelf or cabinet space is necessary for liquid preserved material (formalin, alcohol). Silica gel samples are maintained in freezers (-20C okay, -80C better). 4. Are herbariums and museums willing to accept large numbers of specimens? Or, are they stuffed to rafters and require thousands of dollars for additional cabinets, floor space, etc.? Are there general figures for algal storage (e.g., dollars per sq. ft) (or Euros per sq. meter, etc.)? Vague answers, but common theme: If it is a rare collection in the curator's specialty area, immediate acceptance. If it is a general collection, then space and cost are important issues. Some examples: Guiry: Many are under funded and can't keep up with the flowering plants. My University will throw out my 14,000 seaweed specimens so I will send them to the National Herbarium in Dublin on my death. Fredericq: Traditional herbaria still favor receiving herbarium specimens, as there often is not much space available for large wet-preserved specimens. At the Smithsonian, the curators fix wet specimens first in 5%formalin/seawater and then transfer small pieces to 95% alcohol. This is not the "best way" to preserve, but there is a problem to house large jars. Most modern herbaria now have an affiliated molecular lab, and silica gel-material and extracted DNA are housed in dedicated freezers. Millar: No figures on cost of storage but we allow AUS$50 per specimen as replacement cost. Saunders: Wide open, depends on the herbarium; for new samples - where they are from and what they are. I expect that you would get a wide variety of responses from individual curators. 5. What types of forward-looking protocols can be applied to seaweeds (e.g., cryopreservation)? The general reply focused on DNA - cryopreservation doesn't seem to be on the radar screens. Guiry: We need to have sequences connected to specimens, preferably numbered specimens from which DNA can be extracted again. Fredericq: Also, to track down invasive species; keeping vouchers for marine biotechnology applications: pharmacology: identifications of promising useful secondary compounds that algae produce have been found in a great number of algae (e.g. eicosanoids and anti-inflammatory marine natural products; antimitotic actions of coumarins. Also, vouchers can be preserved for cell wall analysis (e.g., carrageenans, agars) and thus have important economic applications as well. Millar: 5. Voucher based DNA sequences (GenBank) for as many species/samples as possible. O'Kelly: From the practical point of view, techniques that provide answers more quickly and without “stamp collecting”. If the goal is strictly inventory, then I think investments in DNA- or “otherwise molecular”- based technologies is the way to go, especially for things that are smaller or more difficult to deal with (e.g. telling one sea lettuce from another). With the DNA in hand, one can then go get the organism on a “need to know” basis – and a CD containing photographs and other data for the reference specimen(s), plus a vial of the relevant DNA, takes up one hell of a lot less space than herbarium sheets. 6. Databasing and websites: Guiry (manages AlgaeBase): Yes, we agreed to connect AlgaeBase to OBIS using live links, probably via SQL and the new GRID system. I will talk to them again. Since AlgaeBase has now collected 54,000 names of algae and has come to agreements in principle with other databases that include algae (e.g. AlgaTerra) to exchange data by various live means, it makes sense to agree on one central database for all algae and to avoid having a fragmented approach. It is my intention to set up AlgaeBase as a limited-liability charitable trust with a Board of Directors and I will be discussing this later this year with the Berlin Museum and others. Millar: Australia now has the AVH (Australian Virtual Herbarium), soon linking every herbarium and botanic garden in Australia and New Zealand with image based database. It will be fully compatible with AlgaeBase. I'm working closely with IUCN at present trying to set up an Algal Specialist Group who will be able to deliberate on algal conservation and biodiversity . . . the 2003 red lists . . . Vanvoorstia bennettiana extinct. O'Kelly: AlgaeBase is the best we have for algae, though there are bugs. The link is fragile (several crashes in the last few months), the institutional commitment to the site is small, and the content is primarily taxonomic/nomenclatural rather than biogeographic as in OBIS.
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