Abstract Detail

Systematics Section/ASPT

Krings, Alexander [1], Weakley, Alan [2], Cook, C. Will [3], Kirchoff, Bruce [4], Baskauf, Steve [5], Robinson, Z. Landon [6], Levan, Byron M. [6], Conley, Rachel E. [7].

Trees of North Carolina: A new mobile responsive diagnostic tool.

Documenting plant diversity is a necessary prerequisite for assessing the conservation status of plant species and a precondition to meeting the U.N. Global Strategy for Plant Conservation goal of conserving 60% of the world’s threatened species in situ.  In addition, precision natural resource management requires detailed baseline knowledge gained from plant inventories and surveys.  Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that agencies are suffering from insufficient expertise in field botany.  In a recent survey, botanists in the federal government chose lack of staff with appropriate botanical training as one of the top three resources limiting their agency and 90% indicated they did not have enough botanically trained staff to meet their needs.  Fortunately, technological advances allow us to provide highly mobile, highly illustrated, authoritative diagnostic tools to help support professionals in their work and train next generation field botanists. We here present a new mobile responsive diagnostic tool that comprehensively treats ninety-eight genera and 279 species comprising the native and naturalized arboreal flora of North Carolina.  In contrast to mobile diagnostic tools whose objective is primarily identification, our objective is to promote both learning and identification.  To this end, the design incorporates insights into learning from cognitive psychology.  The tool is heavily visual and includes over 3000 images.  

Related Links:
Trees of North Carolina

1 - North Carolina State University, Plant & Microbial Biology, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7612, USA
2 - University of North Carolina, Biology, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
3 - Duke University, Earth & Ocean Sciences, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
4 - University Of North Carolina At Greensboro, Department Of Biology, PO BOX 26170, GREENSBORO, NC, 27402-6170, USA, 919-304-2991
5 - Vanderbilt University, Biological Sciences, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
6 - North Carolina State University, Forestry & Environmental Resources, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
7 - Auburn University, Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

Keywords:
Identification
Dendrology.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Eyrie/Boise Centre
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2014
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PSY052
Abstract ID:356
Candidate for Awards:None