Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN)

Name

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN)

Herbarium Code

TERN

Current Status

Active

Correspondents

Donna Lewis, Curation Lead, donna.lewis@adelaide.edu.au

Contact

+61 (0) 8 8313 3465
Email: donna.lewis@adelaide.edu.au

Address

TERN Australia Soil and Herbarium Collection
The University of Adelaide
TERN Ecosystem Surveillance
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN)
Davies Building, The University of Adelaide Waite Campus
Urrbrae, South Australia 5064
Australia

CITES

AU095

Specialty

Taxonomic Coverage: Vascular plants

Geography: Australia

Notes

Entered Oct 2022. The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) is Australia’s land ecosystem observatory and is enabled by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). TERN measures key terrestrial ecosystem attributes over time from continental scale to fields sites at hundreds of representative locations across Australia’s major biomes and openly provide model ready data that enable researchers to detect and interpret changes in land ecosystems. TERN’s Ecosystem Surveillance platform conducts field surveys and sampling across a national network of plots and transects to provide the data, samples and advice required for improved monitoring and assessment of Australia’s major ecosystem. The platform helps scientists and land managers better detect and quantify change in vegetation structure and composition, land cover and soil characteristics. The platform collects representative plant specimens within the 1ha plots and associated leaf tissue samples stored in Silica Gel. The specimens are thus part of a long-term continental scale ecological monitoring program with rich temporal data. Plant specimens are collected on each revisit; therefore, the collection differs to that of a traditional herbarium. The plant specimen collection represents 5,804 vascular plant species, equating to 24.18% of the Australian flora. As well as plant specimens and leaf tissue samples, soil samples are collected, including bulk density samples and soil metagenomic samples. The plant specimens are stored in Adelaide, South Australia and are available to loan for downstream research. The TERN Australia Soil and Herbarium Collection does not accept exchanges; however, we are in partnership with the State Herbarium of South Australia (AD) that do accept exchanges.

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