The Mollusc Collection (Class Polyplacophora) at the Museum of Zoology, University of Concepción: curation status and value for integrative research.

Abstract

Within a museum of biological collections, the care and periodic updating of collections represent a fundamental pillar of curatorial work. Keeping collections in good condition ensures better access for researchers interested in consulting or studying a specific taxonomic group. At the Museum of Zoology of the University of Concepción, a total of 140 samples belonging to the Polyplacophora class collection were curated. The first digitisation of this collection was carried out under the Darwin Core (DwC) standard, providing full accessibility to the respective collection data available in the GBIF and OBIS biodiversity databases. The collection consists of specimens collected between 1954 and 2022 in a wide range of localities, mainly in Chile and other countries such as Argentina, Ecuador and Norway, covering a total of 19 species. Additionally, in the year 2023, an evaluation of the collection's health status was conducted, revealing that 42.857% of the samples had health levels of 5 or lower, while 57.143% were at level 6. By 2024, 96.429% of the collection improved to a health level of 7, while 3.571% remained at a health level of less than 5. These results indicate that the collection is in ideal conditions, detecting an improvement of the physical and digital material of the mollusc collection. This improvement enables researchers to more easily access information from the validated collection, supporting research in various areas such as conservation, resource management, climate change and biogeography. This study represents the first report evaluating the health index of biological collections in Chile, showing how the prioritisation of actions requiring attention is important for the preservation of natural heritage. It also contributes to the current knowledge of biological collection databases in Chile, promoting the use of digital databases for better management of records and their information, so they can be used in future studies in various fields of natural sciences that require specific data.