In 1998, Great Smoky Mountains National Park embarked on a project to determine all life forms in the Park. This ongoing project, an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, or ATBI, has resulted in a wealth of information about Park resources. A science plan has been adopted and a pilot study has been completed; further testing of protocols is now being conducted to further refine sampling techniques within a plot structure throughout the Park. Traditional sampling methods continue to be used as well. Education, at all levels, has been an integral part of this project. To date, over 200 scientists have been involved and over 5500 species discoveries have been made, which includes 4740 new distribution records for known species, and 829 species new to science. In addition to species identifications, ecological information is being gathered that greatly benefits Park management with regard to resource stewardship.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) contains one of the most diverse assemblages of vegetation communities in North America. Over 70 unique community associations comprised of over 1300 native plant species have been identified in the Park. This wide array of communities provides habitat for unknown multitudes of other taxa whose abundance, distribution, and ecological importance remain largely unknown. The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) underway in the Park is the first comprehensive attempt to better understand the vast array of species present in the Park. This paper discusses the composition, structure, distribution, and extent of vegetation communities in GSMNP. Detailed assessments of the vegetation, site, and soil characteristics of the 19 ATBI plots are also included.

Soils and waters were collected from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), and bacteria were cultured or DNA cloned from the samples. Oconaluftee Visitors Center and Kephart Prong Trail were sampled to examine distributions of heterotrophs inhabiting streams and riparian soil. Soil from All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory plots at Albright Grove, Cataloochee, and Purchase Knob were also sampled. A total of eleven phyla were detected, of which six were only found via culture-independent techniques. Overall, 69 genera were documented, with differences in their detection in soil and water and by methodology. Firmicutes dominated cultures from soil, while Acidobacteria dominated clone libraries; Bacteroidetes was the dominant phylum in water. Three classes of the phylum Proteobacteria were commonly seen as isolates or clones. Prokaryotic diversity is extraordinary; this is the first inventory examining non-photosynthetic bacteria inhabiting GSMNP and it lays the groundwork for investigations exploring the true breadth of diversity in the park and what this diversity means to the broader ecosystem.

We present an update on efforts to catalog the basidiomycete taxa, particularly the mushroom-forming fungi, of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) for the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. The goals of this project are to: 1) collect, identify, and voucher specimens with the help of visiting mycologists and volunteers; 2) extract DNA, amplify and sequence the nrITS region for barcoding, and deposit these sequences on GenBank; and 3) create species web pages for general public use. At present (April 2006), approximately 2000 specimens comprising about 770 species have been collected. As many as 45% are new Park records, and several may represent species new to science. DNA has been extracted from about 1000 specimens, and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region has been amplified and sequenced for about 500 of those. A surprising amount of genetic heterogeneity has been found, in part due to population migration patterns in response to glacial cycles. Studies with Artomyces pyxidatus support this hypothesis, showing distinct contributions from Central America and a second unidentified refugium.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an area known for its incredible species diversity. This study was conducted in order to determine the vertical distribution of lichen growth forms and overall lichen species richness on selected host-tree species in the Park. Specifically, lichens were collected from Tilia americana var. heterophylla (basswood), Abies fraseri (Fraser fir), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum), and Fraxinus americana (white ash) at different canopy heights. A total of eight trees (two for each species) were sampled using the double-rope climbing technique. Overall, our results indicate that both host-tree species and canopy height influence lichen species richness and distribution of growth forms. Three lichen species are reported as candidates for new records in the Park: Gyalecta flotowii Korber, Lecanora miculata Ach., and Pyrenula pseudobufonia (Rehm) R.C. Harris.

The first Lichen Bio-Quest was held at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont near Townsend, TN, on 19–20 June, 2004. More than 30 participants included high school teachers and students, Park volunteers and staff, area residents, and professional lichenologists. The primary goal was first to provide an educational component, including lichen morphology, growth forms, terminology, and identification using lecture and video-microscopy presentations, followed by a field component collecting lichens in different habitats. H. Thorsten Lumbsch, an expert on crustose lichens, and Steven B. Selva, an expert on calicioid (stubble) lichens, served as instructors, foray captains, and helped identify specimens. Lower-elevation collection sites were located in the Tremont area (Lumber Ridge Trail and Spruce Flats Falls Trail) and ranged from 405–550 m. High-elevation sites (Indian Gap, Spruce-Fir Nature Trail, and the Balsam Mountain Road area) ranged from 1094 to 1706 m. Eighty-eight lichen and lichenicolous fungi species were identified, including 10 new published Park and Tennessee records. The new lichen records were: Aspicilia caesiocinerea, Calicium glaucellum, Chaenotheca brunneola, Placynthiella icmalea, Trapelia glebulosa, T. placodioides, and Trapeliopsis flexuosa. The new lichenicolous fungi records were: Mycocalicium subtile, Phaeocalicium polyporaeum, and Sphinctrina turbinata.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles the Tennessee–North Carolina state-line is a biologically diverse region which has recently become the site of an All Taxon Biodiversity Inventory, an effort to chronicle species diversity by documenting all species in all phyla present within park boundaries. As a result of studies within the last two years, we have added 415 new algal taxa records. With records reported in 2004, we now have documented a total of 1000 taxa in the park. This paper summarizes all algal species found to date.

Diatoms and other algae were collected and identified from subaerial habitats (wetwalls) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of a larger biodiversity survey of the Park. Algal collections were made across a range of moisture gradients and bedrock mineralogies with pH ranging from 3.8 to 7.7. None of the communities collected were entirely submerged in water, but were often associated with moist bryophytes, cyanobacterial mats, and dripping groundwater seeps. Some of the collections were from cliff faces wetted only periodically. To date, 41 diatom genera and over 223 species have been identified from these habitats. Several of these genera are widely distributed across aquatic habitats; however, several of the genera are “subaerial specialists” and possess morphological features such as reduced size, reduced external openings in the cell wall, or additional external siliceous membranes that allow them to survive in relatively dry habitats. Widely distributed species with high fidelity to subaerial habitats occur in the genera Achnanthes, Cymbopleura, Decussata, Diadesmis, Luticola, Melosira, Microcostatus, Nupela, Psammothidium, and Orthoseira. Many of the species constitute new Park records, national records, or are new to science.

Surveys for freshwater oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) conducted during the years 1999–2006 increase to 19 the number of species (representing four families and 13 genera) recorded from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in North Carolina and Tennessee. Three of these species—Pristina aequiseta, Pristina osborni, and Spirosperma ferox—are new state records for Tennessee, and all but one represent new records for GSMNP. Prior to this study, only one freshwater oligochaete, Stylodrilus wahkeenensis, had been reported from GSMNP.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), situated on the mountainous border of North Carolina and Tennessee, is recognized as one of the most highly diverse protected areas in the temperate region. In order to provide baseline data for the scientific management of GSMNP, an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) was initiated in 1998. Among the goals of the ATBI are to discover the identity and distribution of as many as possible of the species of life that occur in GSMNP. The authors have concentrated on the orders of completely aquatic insects other than odonates. We examined or utilized others' records of more than 53,600 adult and 78,000 immature insects from 545 locations. At present, 469 species are known from GSMNP, including 120 species of Ephemeroptera (mayflies), 111 species of Plecoptera (stoneflies), 7 species of Megaloptera (dobsonflies, fishflies, and alderflies), and 231 species of Trichoptera (caddisflies). Included in this total are 10 species new to science discovered since the ATBI began.

Collembola are the most abundant hexapods, sometimes numbering 50,000 individuals/m² in temperate deciduous forest. Prior to the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, 55 species had been reported from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), some of which were misidentifications. Currently, more than 200 species are recognized in GSMNP, including at least 60 species new to science and more than 100 new records. In addition, reexamination of type specimens in collections dating to the 1940s has validated a number of species that had been synonymized with other taxa, such as in the genus Morulina. One new genus has been collected, and three new species belonging to previously non-North American genera have been found (two South American, one Mediterranean). Several new records are major range extensions, such as Folsomia fimetaria, known previously from the Canadian Maritime provinces, and Hypogastrura tooliki, described from Alaska. Digital imaging and videography of live springtails is being used to more accurately render appearance and coloration and to document behaviors and interactions with other soil and litter biota. Molecular differentiation of Tomoceridae is underway in order to more reliably separate the many similar species of this common family. A Lucid-based online key for identification of southern Appalachian Collembola is under construction; where possible, this key will use characters visible with a dissecting microscope to distinguish species.

The current Coleoptera (beetle) Taxonomic Working Group of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) has been active since June 2001. It consists of a core group of students and researchers, headquartered at the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM), Baton Rouge, LA and is supported by a network of 42 specialists worldwide. Our starting point was ≈700 species based mainly on specimens collected prior to 2001 and deposited in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) museum. Our current beetle count for GSMNP is 2131 species from 103 families. Using periodic species accumulation analyses plus independent work by cooperators, we have documented ≈1400 new species records for the park and 16,370 specimen records in our Biota® relational database. This includes 42 species new to science. We predict the total beetle diversity for the park will be ≈3000 species based on extrapolation of data for the 15 largest families in eastern North America. Most additional records are expected from taxonomic work on the following families: Staphylinidae (rove beetles), Curculionidae (weevils, bark, and ambrosia beetles), Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles), Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles), Latridiidae (minute scavenger beetles), and Ptiliidae (feather-winged beetles). Progress has been hampered by a lack of taxonomic expertise and logistical problems associated with large specimen volumes. The former problem is society-wide and the latter has been partially solved. The vast majority of specimens processed to date were derived from structured protocols conducted during the initial phase of the ATBI. Current and future efforts will be focused on samples collected during organized beetle bioblitzes and/or using specialized techniques targeting taxa that cannot be obtained using mass-collecting methods.

As a part of an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, we documented 1843 Lepidoptera species from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This total is based on previous survey efforts plus recent intensive sampling using bioblitzes. Various statistical estimators put the total number of species in the park between 1950 and 2340. The difference between actual and estimated numbers is mainly due to under-sampled Microlepidoptera groups. As a part of recent efforts, the mitochondrial COI gene has been sequenced from more than 940 species from the Park. DNA barcoding has already led to taxonomic insights in several groups, and is believed to be at least 95% accurate for identifications. Our samples include more than 20 undescribed species in the Park, including a park-endemic geometrid moth. Because of threats to their habitats, high-elevation species make up the largest group of species of special concern.

The fauna and flora of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is being systematically studied and documented for the first time as part of the Smokies' All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI). With direction from scientific authorities and Park staff, a team of citizen volunteers has undertaken a survey of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies). The survey is focused on adults and includes curated specimens, catch-and-release records, and reliable sight identifications. To date, 93 taxa (63 dragonflies, 30 damselflies) are reported from the Park. However, the habitat-, geographic-, and temporal-survey coverage is far from complete, and records from neighboring areas suggest the Park may contain more than 130 odonate species. All of the information is being stored in the online ATBI database.

We report on a systematic survey of the ant fauna occurring in hardwood forests in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 22-mixed hardwood sites, we collected leaf-litter ant species using Winkler samplers. At eight of those sites, we also collected ants using pitfall and Malaise traps. In total, we collected 53 ant species. As shown in other studies, ant species richness tended to decline with increasing elevation. Leaf-litter ant assemblages were also highly nested. Several common species were both locally abundant and had broad distributions, while many other species were rarely detected. Winkler samplers, pitfall traps, and Malaise traps yielded samples that differed in composition, but not richness, from one another. Taken together, our work begins to illuminate the factors that govern the diversity, distribution, abundance, and perhaps rarity of ants of forested ecosystems in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

As part of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), we have collected nearly 600 samples from soil/decomposed leaf litter, lichens and mosses on trees, and stream sediment and periphyton within all 19 permanent ATBI plots, with additional samples from caves, rock lichens, seeps, and bird nests. Tardigrades have been extracted from samples using centrifugation with Ludox AM^TM and mounted on individual microscope slides in Hoyer's medium for identification under phase and DIC microscopy. Prior to our study, only three species of tardigrades had been reported from a few samples in the park. We have now examined over 9000 slides from 401 samples and recorded 73 species, 14 of which we believe may be new to science. Using EstimateS 7.5 software for each of the major tardigrade habitats, we estimate a total species richness of ≈96 limnoterrestrial species in the park. In this paper, we discuss challenges inherent in tardigrade taxonomy and the need for revisions of species groups.