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AARI Herbarium
Annakkili Amma Research Institute (AARI) always serves students, for their research. AARI Herbarium is the center of an information network that brings together botanists from all over India this center is instituted with collaboration of Young Phycological Society International (YPSI). This center is established for researchers to submit and maintain their algal specimens as preserved state or live culture. We maintain your specimen with minimum service and maintenance charge. We maintain online catalogue to check the available materials with us. and anyone can visit our herbarium center for their research by paying the necessary fees. We also share our resources by sending out specimens (Digitized form) on payment to overseas universities and algal specialised institutes.
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Herbarium Code: AARI
It is one and only recognised herbarium center specialised to hold algal herbaria in Chennai & Tamil Nadu
Herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The Herbarium also refers to the building or room where the specimens are housed.
Herbarium specimen can be whole plant or the part of the plant. usually these plant of plant parts are dried using herbarium making procedures and mounted on a paper sheet which is generally termed as "Herbarium Sheet". In some cases depends on the plants or the plant parts are preserved in liquid form using Alcohol or other preservatives.
These Herbaria are mainly used as a reference materials for describing particular taxa while some specimens can be type specimens.
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List of some existing Herbaria in India.
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Agharkar Research Institute
Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre
Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Circle
Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre
Central National Herbarium, India.
Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, India.
Herbarium of the National Botanic Gardens, Lucknow
Herbarium of the Division of Botany, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, (I.A.R.I.), New Delhi
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Why AARI HERBARIUM?
Most of the Indian Herbarium centers are specialized for Angiosperm herbaria and the least attention drawn towards algal specimens hence AARI Herbarium is instituted to develop the specialized herbarium center for the field of Algology.
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Prof. B.B. CHAUGULE.,
SENIOR SCIENTIST AND CONSULTANT,
Annakkili Amma Research Institute (AARI),
#9/936, Mridula Nivas, Sivaram Avenue,
Sivagami Nagar, Medavakkam,
Chennai- 600100, India.
aari.profbbc@gmail.com
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Abirami M
Research Officer and Algal Herbarium Curator,
Annakkili Amma Research Institute (AARI),
9/936, Mridula Nivas, Sivaram Avenue,
Sivagami Nagar, Medavakkam,
Chennai- 600100, India.
aari.manager@gmail.com
ANITHA A
Admin Herbarium Unit,
Annakkili Amma Research Institute (AARI),
9/936, Mridula Nivas, Sivaram Avenue,
Sivagami Nagar, Medavakkam,
Chennai- 600100, India.
aari2siva@gmail.com
Liquid preservation
Micro algae
All unicelluar algae are termed as Micro-algae except Acetabularia. And most of the prokartic filamentous and colonies also comes under micro algae. so scientifically all algae which are unable to seen through our naked eyes are termed as Microalgae.
Hence these are micro in size one cannot make a dried preservation on paper using herbarium making techniques. So micro algae can be preserved in two ways one is liquid preservation, and another is Permanent slide. these two also will serve the purpose of herbarium i.e. reference material for future studies. AARI Herbarium accepts permanent slides and liquid preserved materials.
Instructions for herbarium submission
HERBARIUM SPECIMEN LABELS
A specimen is incomplete without label data. Label data is a form of field data and must be accurate. The following are important elements:
Scientific name: genus, species, authority, infraspecific information
Determiner of the scientific name: the name of the person who identified the algae
Detailed location: the location is used by researchers on several levels:for general mapping to region, county or province;for detailed mapping, as in GIS computer applications;to physically locate the plant(s) in order to obtain further research material. The location should consist of: country, state or province, county or municipality and a description of the location in reference to roads, road junctions, mile markers and distances from cities and/or towns. Latitude and longitude, section, township and range, and elevation may also be helpful. A location taken with a Global Positioning System (GPS) is a desirable complement to the locality description. GPS coordinates MUST include a datum!For more information see: Best Practices for Collecting Geographic Data in the Field
Habitat: the type of algal community where the algae is growing and, if known, other algae and plants growing in association. and importantly marine or freshwater habitat. if marine inland or sea. if fresh what type of water body lentic or lotic.
Habit: describes the form of the algal thallus (unicell, colony, filamentous, thaloid, branched or unbranched) and its measurements.
Frequency: is the plant rare, occasional, frequent or common?
Description: describe characteristics of the alga which may be lost upon drying, such as reproductive structures and morphology, colour, motile or non motile
Collector name: it is recommended that the collector be consistent and use their full first name, middle initial (or full name) and full last name.Other collectors present with the collector also written in full name.
Collection number: a sequential straightforward numbering system (1,2, 3, ...) is preferable.
Date of collection: a format with the month spelled out or abbreviated and 4 digit year will prevent confusion. E.g., 3 May 2019, not 3/5/19 or 5/3/19.
The mounted specimen with the aforementioned recorded data is now ready for
identification or authentication of the stated identity.
For more detailed information on herbarium procedures one can go through the
following books:
Bridson, D. & L. Forman. eds. 1998. The Herbarium Handbook. 3rd ed. Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew (Reprinted 1999).
De Vogel, E.F. 1987. Manual of Herbarium Taxonomy: Theory and Practice. UNESCO,
Jakarta.
Fosberg, F.R. & M.-H. Sachet. 1965. Manual for tropical herbaria. Int. Bur. Pl. Tax. &
Nom., Regnum Vegetabile Vol. 39. Utrecht.
Jain, S.K. & R.R. Rao. 1977. A handbook of field and herbarium methods. Today &
Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers, New Delhi.
Victor, J.E., M. Koekemoer, L. Fish, S.J. Smithies, M. Mossmer. 2004. Herbarium
essentials: the Southern African Herbarium user manual. Southern African
Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 25. SABONET, Pretoria.
It would be worth mentioning here that the herbarium is a place where the
mounted specimens are kept arranged according to a particular system of classification
and the specimens deposited in the herbarium are referred to as ‘herbarium specimens’.
All herbaria are regularly sanitized for preventing fungal infections and insect
pests.
ACCESS
AARI Herbarium is accessible to the world, any one from anywhere can access the herbarium center with prior permission. for permission and other correspondence email to aari2siva@gmail.com. digitized form of herbarium can be purchased from AARI Herbarium on payment. Currently we are not accepting any herbarium from outside of India.
Email subject: Please start with the word VISIT and the date of arrival and departure (e.g. VISIT 20 – 23 July 2016). Please note we are working at the weekend and public holidays also.
Taxonomic groups: Please indicate all the algal families or genera you wish to look at.
Region of interest: Please indicate the States and/or districts you are interested in.
Exact dates of visit: Please repeat this information, ensuring that there are at least two clear weeks from the email date to the date when you wish to visit AARI Herbarium.
Herbarium material: Please indicate if you intend to bring live or preserved specimens to AARI and what it is you are bringing.
Your details: Please ensure you include your full name and full address of your institution or your personal address if you are a private researcher.
Confirmation: If you are a student, please ask your supervisor to request the visit on your behalf to confirm that the research is required for your studies.
* For overseas visitors requiring a letter of support for a visa application, please ensure you apply for your visa at least three months in advance of your visit.
Please then email this information to aari2siva@gmail.com and it will be picked up and forwarded to the relevant curator.
for more details visit https://herbarium.yolasite.com/
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