AlgaTerra - Applying Type Designation and Factual Data to a Berlin Model database
Glück K., Kusber W.-H. and Jahn R., Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (BGBM) Berlin-Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, D-14191 Berlin, GermanyAlgaTerra is a project on terrestrial and limnic micro algae of five cooperating partners. Their contributions (type and factual data) of different data structure, following diverse classifications, have been made compatible, merged and integrated to a database based on the Berlin Model.
An application has been developed for inserting and administering type designations in the Type Module of the database. Included features are:
- ability to assess type designations for presentation in the Internet
- distinction between type figures and illustrations of type specimens.
Factual data has been categorized into morphological, ecological and molecular facts. The database has been extended with each fact category. Characteristics used to describe micro algae have been catalogued and harmonized in communication with the experts of the project to get a feasible terminology for merging the data.
The present static list of characteristics represents a joint minimum portion describing micro algae. This may be used as a base for developing a more dynamic descriptor system. Further fact categories such as geographical distribution or physiological properties may be added to the fact table later.