COMPUTERIZATION PROCESS AT THE HERBARIUM RIOCLARENSE (HRCB), SÃO PAULO STATE UNIVERSITY - UNESP, RIO CLARO CAMPUS , AND ITS INCORPORATION IN A NET SYSTEM.

Abstract

A herbarium is an important center for plant identification. It is the start-point for researches on taxonomic reviews and flora elaboration, a substantial source for floristic composition studies, and a recipient of rare or endangered species. Moreover, it is possible to use vouched collections as profitable sources for genetic resources. Collection computerizing is undoubtedly needed not only to manage the collection itself, but also to ease access to information and available data. Thus, the present paper aimed to establish procedures and routine tasks so that the computerization process at Herbarium Rioclarense (HRCB) could be initialized, as well as to draw a preliminary collection profile and make partial data available within a net system of the online information. Material information was then digitalized and written in simplified electronic sheets such as those of Microsoft?Excel?2000. After checking data with the aid of reference sites such as W3 Tropics, Missouri Botanical Garden, Index Kewensis and so forth, these were imported into the software BRAHMS 5.0 (Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System), through which they were later integrated to the information system known as speciesLink (Information System Distributed to Biological Collections: Integration of Species Analyst and SinBiota). Type specimens were photographed with ulterior image digitalization and inclusion into the herbarium website. A total of 3,071 materials (exsiccates) and 259 type materials were digitalized. The Asteraceae family was a highlight amongst all computerized families. In our partial analysis, it was clear to notice that the Brazilian southeastern region prevailed over the other ones regarding the number of collected material (81.0% of the computerized total amount), and that the largest contribution comes from Sao Paulo State (83.9%). Within Sao Paulo State, an amount of 14.7% of collections come from Itirapina (at the so-called Rio Claro region), being this city the most representative. We can realize it is important to computerize information of botanical collections to develop various analyses so that local biodiversity may be preserved, characterized or simply maintained.