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OSAC Vouchering

 


Voucher specimens are individual specimens that are associated with specified research projects.

Accepting, managing and providing long term curation of VOUCHER SPECIMENS is an important role of the Oregon State Arthropod Collection. Examples might be specimens collected as part of a Biotic Survey, specimens from which DNA sequences were extracted, or specimens associated with a particular crop disease. In all cases, the voucher specimens serve as physical examples for the species-identifications in that study.

Each OSAC Voucher specimen is provided with a unique 9-digit barcode tag (OSAC Specimen #) that identifies that particular specimen. Researchers can use the OSAC Specimen # to refer to one or more specimens in publications or as tags to find and view their voucher material in the future. These specimen numbers allow other researchers to access the specimens in the future to compare new material with the earlier material. Eventually researchers will be able to access data related to these specimens (including high resolution images) via the OSAC website. This is especially important for research specimens of uncertain identity or that belong to groups with little taxonomic expertise.

Example 1. An OSU Entomology Masters student finds 3 species of midge larvae (Chironomidae) in association with a particular managed wetland. Without rearing them to adult or an available expert on Chironomid taxonomy, she is unable to identify them to species. Throughout her thesis and the resulting publications she refers to them as 'chironomid sp1', 'chironomid sp2' and 'chironomid sp3'. Because she deposited several voucher specimens for each of these species in OSAC, she was able to refer to them in publication: OSAC specimen #'s: 453987-453995. Years later, the specimens are identified by a visiting expert on Chironomidae. From then on, researchers who check OSAC specimen #453987 find that it is no longer 'chironomid sp1' but 'Odontomesa fulva', etc.

Example 2. An OSU researcher undertakes a study to compare DNA sequences of several closely related species. There is confusion as to the identification of these species. To ensure that their DNA sequences can be matched up to morphological traits, the researcher removes one leg from each specimen for DNA extraction and pins the remaining specimen as a voucher. The voucher recieves an OSAC specimen number which can then be included in any GENBANK accession records related to DNA sequences obtained from that specimen. Voucher specimens are increasingly becoming a necessary requirement for publication and integration of results into collaborative studies. Many of the BARCODE of life projects require voucher material be deposited in a well-established, publically available research collection.


Large voucher collections (e.g., material from a biotic survey of a particular habitat). OSAC also provides a unique OSAC Accession # to the entire voucher collection. In these cases, a researcher need only refer to a single number for all the voucher material. Because these types of collections can be extremely time consuming to accession - we ask that researchers consider including funds in their research grant to cover the costs of curation for their voucher material.

Obtaining specimen #'s and OSAC accession #'s.
Both specimen #s and accession #s can be obtained PRIOR, DURING and AFTER your study. We strongly recommend that you obtain them PRIOR to your research. To do so, stop by the collection and we'll reserving a series of OSAC specimen numbers for your project. By reserving a number series, you are able to assign these numbers yourself (and thereby integrate them into their data collection process). OSAC can also provide the 9-digit barcode tags to put on your pinned or alcohol preserved voucher specimens.

OSAC does not currently voucher:

  • unsorted, unmounted bulk samples
  • organisms not considered part of our holdings (e.g., vertebrates, plants, marine arthropods, etc) with the exception of: terrestrial invertebrates including molluscs
  • tissue samples/DNA sequences(available through other OSU units)
  • specimens without proper collection labels associated with the specimens
  • research material collected without proper research or collecting permits

 

PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO STOP BY THE COLLECTION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS VOUCHERING MATERIAL AT THE OREGON STATE ARTHROPOD COLLECTION.