Science at Museo delle Scienze - Museo Tridentino di Scienze ...

The scientific colllections
Tropical Biodiversity
since 1998 MTsn has conducted several research expeditions in the mountain rainforests
of Tanzania, that have led to a collection of 4,250 specimens of amphibians
and reptiles (and mammals to a much less extent). These include over 80 species
that are new to science. The tropical african herpetology collection of Mds is now
recognized one of the most important with regards to the mountain forests of Tanzania.
Among the mammals, the collection includes Rhynchocyon udzungwensis,
the giant elephant-shrew discovered by Mds researchers and described in 2008.
Botany
Botany collections are made up by
the herbarium and the living collections
of the museum’s two botanic
gardens (Viotte Alpine Garden and
Arco Arbotretum) and the seed bank.
The herbarium (TR) accounts for approx.
150,000 specimens mainly collected
from the mid eighteen century
to the mid nineteen century. The
major component is naturally local
from Trentino and Tirol but a significant
part of the collections originate
from other parts of italy, europe and
north Africa. Viotte alpine garden
grows more than 1,200 alpine species
from the major mountain chains
of the world, with a special interest
for endemic and threatened species,
Arco arboretum includes nearly
200 species of fine and tender trees
of garden interest. The seeds bank
focuses on threatened and endemic
species of conservation interest
originating from the eastern Alps.
Limnology and Phycology
Phycological and limnological collections of the Mds include more than 5,000 items
collected in the frame of the numerous research projects carried out by the section.
These are mostly samples of microscopic organisms such as diatoms, cyanobacteria,
algae, zoobenthos and zooplankton collected mainly in the Alps, and namely in
the Autonomous Province of Trento. Besides these recently started collections, the
section also curates four historical algae collections including exsiccata of marine
and freshwater algae originating from different locations worldwide and collected
mainly in the nineteenth century.
Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology
invertebrate collections of the Mds include more than 1,2 million of specimens,
aquatic and terrestrial. historical collections (1850-1950 yr) include mainly terrestrial
insects (about 175,000 specimens) and marine, freshwater and terrestrial molluscs.
Most part of specimens (terrestrial and aquatic) are preserved in ethanol and
were collected mainly in mountain regions in italy but also abroad (svalbard islands,
Pakistan-Karakorum, France-Pyrenees, etc.). A collection of more than 5,000 microscope
slides of aquatic insects and crustaceans is also present.
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