Plant Conservation Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, HW Pearson Building, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
Proc Biol Sci. 2021 Feb 10;288(1944):20202597. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2597.
The need for open, reproducible science is of growing concern in the twenty-first century, with multiple initiatives like the widely supported FAIR principles advocating for data to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. Plant ecological and evolutionary studies are not exempt from the need to ensure that the data upon which their findings are based are accessible and allow for replication in accordance with the FAIR principles. However, it is common that the collection and curation of herbarium specimens, a foundational aspect of studies involving plants, is neglected by authors. Without publicly available specimens, huge numbers of studies that rely on the field identification of plants are fundamentally not reproducible. We argue that the collection and public availability of herbarium specimens is not only good botanical practice but is also fundamental in ensuring that plant ecological and evolutionary studies are replicable, and thus scientifically sound. Data repositories that adhere to the FAIR principles must make sure that the original data are traceable to and re-examinable at their empirical source. In order to secure replicability, and adherence to the FAIR principles, substantial changes need to be brought about to restore the practice of collecting and curating specimens, to educate students of their importance, and to properly fund the herbaria which house them.
二十一世纪，开放、可重现的科学受到越来越多的关注，许多倡议，如得到广泛支持的 FAIR 原则，提倡数据应具有可发现性、可访问性、互操作性和可重用性。植物生态学和进化研究也需要确保其研究结果所依据的数据是可访问的，并符合 FAIR 原则，以便能够进行复制。然而，通常情况下，作者忽略了收集和保存植物标本这一基础性工作，而植物标本的收集和保存是涉及植物研究的基础。如果没有公开可用的标本，那么大量依赖于植物野外识别的研究从根本上就无法重现。我们认为，收集和公开植物标本不仅是良好的植物学实践，也是确保植物生态学和进化研究具有可重复性和科学性的基础。符合 FAIR 原则的数据存储库必须确保原始数据可追溯到其经验来源，并可在其来源处重新检查。为了确保可重复性和符合 FAIR 原则，需要进行重大变革，以恢复收集和保存标本的实践，教育学生标本的重要性，并为保存标本的标本馆提供适当的资金。
