The Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas is an online, searchable interface
integrating an extensive set of over 5 terabytes of data from the Bell
Museum on birds, mammals, fishes, plants, and
fungi to enhance research capacity to perform a range of activities
from biological surveys to conservation planning.
Three of the largest terrestrial ecosystems in the world meet near
the headwaters of the Mississippi River in the upper midwest. The
meeting place of the eastern broadleaf forests, the prairies of the
Great Plains, and the coniferous forests of Canada brings together a
remarkable array of plant and animal species. Many of these
species are at the extremes of their range, and models of species
range changes in future climates predict that change will happen
fastest at these extremes. Documenting, predicting, and
understanding that change depends on accurate records of species
The Museum holds more than a million specimens from all seven
continents. Many records predate the digital age. The Atlas continues
to expand as we digitize our historic holdings and add new specimens
to the Museum. Half of our holdings have been digitized so far. More
than 400,000 are mapped and 200,000 have digital images.
Help add more specimens to the Atlas with
a Bell Museum citizen science project supported by the Zooniverse.
Your contributions will help us know where species have been and
predict where they may end up in the future!
Funding for this project was provided by the
Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota
Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally
established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection,
conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water,
land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.