Biological Specimen Collections
Brief Introduction
The Biological Specimen Collection Working Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences contains 19 biological specimen collections and aims to guide them to increase the specimen collection numbers, make and identify specimens, and digitize specimens. The Biological Specimen Collection Working Committee of CAS has carried out a variety of scientific knowledge popularization activities, which provide important support for scientific research, serve national needs and economic construction. The Biological Specimen Collection Working Committee puts forward opinions and suggestions for reform, development and construction, and compiles a medium- and long-term development planning report through investigating working conditions of the specimen collections. The Biological Specimen Collection Working Committee promote the scientific and technological cooperation, academic exchanges and information sharing among the biological specimen collections of CAS and with the specimen collections at home and abroad. Through organizing and participating in relevant academic activities, The Biological Specimen Collection Working Committee promotes the external publicity and exchange of biological specimen collections (of CAS. The Biological Specimen Collection Working Committee focuses on building a collection center of biological specimens with great important influence in the world, and the largest dissemination center of biological knowledge in China, even in Asia.
Organization/Members
| Biological Genetic Resources Bank | Institution | Director |
| Leading Unit | ||
| National Zoological Museum of China | Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | QIAO Gexxia |
| Composing Members | ||
| Herbarium of Mycologicum | Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | YAO Yijian |
| Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Collection | Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | LIU Jinyi |
| Herbarium of Institute of Botany | Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences | KONG Hongzhi |
| Herbarium of South China Botanical Garden | South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences | ZHANG Dianxiang |
| South ChinaSea Marine BiologicalMuseumof the Chinese Academy of Sciences | South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | TAN Yehui |
| Marine Biological Museum of the Chinese Academy of Sciences | Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | WANG Shaoqing |
| The Herpetological Museum of Chengdu Institute of Biology | Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | LI Jiatang |
| Herbarium of Chengdu Institute of Biology | Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | GAO Xinfen |
| Herbarium of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden | Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences | LI Jianwu |
| Herbarium of Kunming Institute of Botany | Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences | YANG Zhuliang |
| Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology | Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | LI Weiwei |
| Herbarium of Wuhan Botanical Garden | Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences | HU Guangwan |
| The Museum of Aquatic Organism | Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | ZHANG Xianfeng |
| Nanjing Museum of Paleontology | Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | FENG Weimin |
| Shanghai Insect Museum | Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences | YIN Haisheng |
| Herbarium of Institute of Applied Ecology | Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | YUAN Haisheng |
| Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Museum of Biology | Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | CHEN Shilong |
| Specimen Museum of Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography | Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences | FENG Ying |
Highlights of Work
- In recent years, the member units of BSMWS have adhered to the principle of problem oriented, focused on the preservation targets, the construction of national ecological civilization, the ecological security of the country and the construction of the national economy, paid attention to the hotspots of biodiversity and the scarce groups of the specimen banks, actively expanded the field investigation areas, enriched the groups, obtained a large number of specimens from key areas and characteristic groups.There were 282 collecting activities in 2017, involving 974 people and 0.61 million specimens.
- The domestic investigations mainly focused on some special areas or areas with weak research, such as the Tibet Plateau, tropical islands and deep-sea areas. These collection activities have enriched the collections of many groups in these areas and filled in gaps in collections of some groups. The main domestic investigations in 2017 are as follows:
- Based on the "Second comprehensive scientific investigation of the Tibet Plateau", many units, such as Herbarium, Kunming Institute of Botany, Herbarium of Wuhan Botanical Garden and Herbarium of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, had carried out a few large-scale and multi-group field scientific investigations on the Tibet Plateau;
- 1、Combined with the national science and technology special "Investigation of Special Biological Resources in Tropical Islands and Coastal Zone",South China Botanical Garden Herbarium had carried out numbers ofinvestigations in weak research areas;
- 2、Supported by national projects, the Marine Biological Museum had carried out a number of investigations to the marine areas and had collected more than 13,000 marine biologicalspecimens.
- Focused on the national strategy and scientific research demand, the overseas investigations in recent years are mainly in the surrounding countries and regions of Southeast Asia and Central Asia, and some projects and studies have gradually opened up the ocean and the African regions. The main overseas investigations in 2017 are as follows:
- 1、Herbarium, Kunming Institute of Botany: Investigations to Vietnam and Nepal;
- 2、Fungarium, Institute of Microbiology: Investigations to Thailand and Vietnam, collected 6465 specimens;
- 3、Herbarium, Chengdu Institute of Biology: Organized a number of member units to go to Nepal for biodiversity investigations, collected 750 plant specimens;
- 4、National Zoological Museum of China: Organized the scientific investigation to Central Asia for many times, collected 130,000 specimens of various kinds of animal;
- 5、Herbarium of Wuhan Botanical Garden: Organized the scientific investigations toAfrica, Kenya, Madagascar and other countries, collected 4000 plant specimens, laid a good foundation for the development of the Flora of Kenya, which was presided over byHerbarium of Wuhan Botanical Garden；
- 6、Marine Biological Museum: Collected about 170 species and 400 deep-sea specimens in the Caroline seamounts of the Western Pacific.The first-timediscovery of "coral forest" and "sponge field"in the deep seabed of the tropical western Pacific oligotrophic sea filled the gaps in the international investigation of the seamount in the Caroline ocean ridge.
- The informationization （also called digitization or networking ） of specimen is a major innovation for the value mining of specimens. On this basis, the data sharing is realized, which makes the use of the specimens more comprehensive. All the members of the BSMWC have participated in the work of specimen informationization.In 2017, the number of newly informationized specimens was about 435000, and the total number of digitized specimens reached 9464000, in 270000 species.At the same time, all members have updated or reconstructed their data management systems and websites according to their own actual conditions.The annual website accesses reached to 14.544 million person-times, and the total information downloads is 509.4G.
- “The Three Monographs” areFauna Sinica, Flora of China andCryptogamia of China. “The Three Monographs” was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the State Scientific and Technological Commission and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The publication of “The Three Monographs”" was rated as one of the ten major technological advances in China in 1997 by about 500 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1998, the compilation of “The Three Monographs” were rated as excellent project in the major projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. In 2003, the compilation of “The Three Monographs” was commended as a major project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China again.
- In the compilation of “The Three Monographs”, the members of the BSMWC played an irreplaceable supporting role as an important preservation place for biological specimens in China. The description of the morphological features of the species recorded in the “The Three Monographs” and the drawing of the plates need the consulting of a large number of specimen collections. The geographical distribution of the species needs to be carefully checked for the collecting information. It is the large number of specimens preserved in these specimen museums that makes the compilation and publication of the “The Three Monographs” possible.
- As the preservation place and value excavation area of national biological resources, the specimen museum should contribute to the strategic development of the country. In recent years, the members of the BSMWC have been enriching their own collections and have given full play to their own advantages to meet the major needs of the country.
- Rapid identification of entry-exit inspection and quarantine of animals and plants has always been a difficult problem in China's national bio-safety.Based on the major national demands, in view of the severe situation faced by national port inspection and quarantine, our Bureau of Science & Technology for Development has arranged and launched two key deployment projects to give full play to the advantages in the aspects of strategic biological resources, talent resources and technical achievements. Closely cooperating with the national port, relying on the national biological specimen museums, taking the port demands as the traction, taking the network as the means, and taking the experts as the core, we have constructed the rapid response and identification technology service system, and have established the specimen bank and information base of national intrusion species. Integrating DNA barcode, image recognition and network technology, we have established the biological rapid inspection and quarantine system and species identification system at representative key ports.Relying on the strong scientific research force and perfect scientific research conditions of CAS, we actively cultivate excellent young people in national bio-safety field and provide a strong guarantee for our national bio-safety.In response to the national appeals, the member museums have played an important role in constructing the national bio-safety and have achieved a series of achievements.
- For example：
- 1、Relying on its rich collection and data, the National Zoological Museum is responsible for serving the national needs and the inspection and quarantine system.Preliminarily constructed the specimen bank and information database, set up the framework of "National port intercepted specimen branch museum", started building service platform. In 2017, identified animal specimens intercepted by the inspection and quarantine system for more than 10 times, assisted the Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to hold an inquiry conference about the national bio-security.
- 2、After investigating the needs of the entry-exit inspection and quarantine department at the airports and frontier ports, the Herbarium, Kunming Institute of Botany has realized the first "rapid response platform for national bio-safety information" based on the WeChat, and successfully constructed the platform to joint specimen museums, taxonomists and entry-exit inspection and quarantine department, realizing rapid response to invasive biological detection, prevention and control.
- 3、As a government authorized inspection agency, supported by the South China Botanical Garden Herbarium, the Southern China plant identification centerprovides services for the customs, the public security subbureau, the courts, the procuratorates, the forestry bureau, the nature reserve, the science & technology or relevant government departments. And provide fast and reliable species identification services for wild plant protection and illegal trade identification.In 2017, this center provided 108 times (55 batches) identification services for local public security, forest public security, police stations, customs and pharmaceutical companies in Guangdong and surrounding areas.
- 4、As the designated unit of the Ministry of agriculture, in 2017, the Shanghai Entomological Museum did efficacy tests 37 times for 28 companies, did cable termite test 18 times for the national wire and cable quality supervision and inspection center and other units, provided professional service for the strategic needs of the local government.
