Phytogeography andTaxonomy of the NorthAmerican Flora: RecentAdvances in Digital Technologyand the Development of DigitalFloras as Research Tools

摘要

Our knowledge of North American floristics is predicated upon four centuries of vouchered collections that number some 80 million records. Therefore, our basic knowledge of floristics is no longer a mystery. By using even antiquated floristic practices, we can generate informative traditional floras with a great deal of precision regarding where our 23,000 species occur within North America, how we identify them, which ones are rare, which ones are exotic, what characteristics do they share, etc. However, by applying many new and readily available alternative technologies to these antiquated floristic practices, new and wholly different paradigms can be produced. From our vast herbarium records, we know that that there are 23,714 species of vascular plants in North America, of which 19,402 are native, 4,366 are exotic, 2,748 are trees, 6,429 are shrubs, etc. However, by incorporating Digital Technology, it is also possible to show richness and similarity coefficients of floras from different elevations, from different ecoregions, from different heat and hardiness zones and from different physiographic zones. Digital Technology can also produce species area curves, illustrate density gradation patterns and compare floras with similar rainfall, heat and hardiness zone patterns. It is also possible to monitor floristic shifts due to climate factors such as global warming and other factors. Moreover, by using random access keys and digital imagery, we can produce more effective identification systems and more accurately pinpoint locations of individual plant populations, or even individual plants that grow in parks, forests or along roadsides.