Description
The Arthropod trait dataset contains data on life histories and ecological traits for more than 4000 northwestern European arthropod species. The data were compiled based on literature sources and expert knowledge. This dataset is published as a standardized Darwin Core Archive and includes for each species (in the Taxon Core) available data on body size, fecundity, development time, mean voltinism, lifespan, dispersal capacity and thermal niche (in the Measurements or Facts Extension), as well as maximum voltinism, overwintering stage, diurnality, feeding guild, trophic range and habitat preferences (in the Description Extension).
We have released this dataset to the public domain under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC) implying that users of data make proper reference to this dataset, and/or refer to the published paper (DOI) describing the data.
Data Records
The data in this checklist resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 4,874 records.
2 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Ghent University. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: a684ca81-66f3-4d38-863e-463f79220f03. Ghent University publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Belgian Biodiversity Platform.
Keywords
Checklist; insects; spiders; woodlice; thermal niche; dispersal; body size; fecundity; development time; voltinism; lifespan; overwintering stage; diurnality; trophic level; feeding guild; trophic range; habitat
Contacts
- Metadata Provider ●
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2000-7982
- Originator
- Originator
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact
Geographic Coverage
Northwestern Europe
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [-90, -180], North East [90, -180] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
No Description available
| Kingdom | Animalia |
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| Phylum | Arthropoda |
Sampling Methods
An extensive search for literature sources that describe life histories and/or ecological traits of ten different arthropod orders was conducted. The data were compiled in separate Excel sheets for each order. Later, this information was merged into a single dataset. 83 different literature sources were consulted, including scientific papers, books and websites. In the next step, several experts in certain taxonomic groups contributed personal data, measurements or expert judgements on their specific taxa to address noticeable gaps in the dataset. Additionally, realised thermal niche was estimated by overlaying species distribution data derived from GBIF with WorldClim data in QGIS.
| Study Extent | This dataset summarizes life histories, thermal niche and ecological traits for 4874 European arthropod species, aiming to construct a comprehensive dataset that could be incorporated in predictive models. With this dataset, we aim to facilitate the implementation of biological mechanisms in predictive models focused on arthropods, thereby enhancing our ability to forecast the impact of global change on these animals. |
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| Quality Control | Data entries were provided or checked by specialists in the taxonomic groups. |
Method step description:
- An extensive search is conducted for literature sources that describe life history and/or ecology of arthropods. Data is compiled in separate Excel sheets for each arthropod order.
- Taxonomic experts are contacted and have addressed noticeable gaps in the dataset by providing personal data.
- Thermal niche data is calculated for each species by overlaying GBIF distribution data with WorldClim climate data in QGIS.
- The separate Excel sheets are merged in a single Excel sheet containing a single row of data per species. This is done by averaging continuous trait values or selecting the most inclusive categorical trait values for each species.
- The resulting Darwin Core data files are mainly created in R, uploaded to the IPT of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and documented with metadata by Stijn Cooleman.
- The dataset is published and registered with GBIF.
Bibliographic Citations
- Garben Logghe, Femke Batsleer, Dirk Maes, Tristan Permentier, Matty P. Berg, Dimitri Brosens, Stijn Cooleman, Pallieter De Smedt, Jonas Hagge, Jorg Lambrechts, Marc Pollet, Fons Verheyde, Dries Bonte. 2024. An in-depth dataset of northwestern European arthropod life histories and ecological traits. bioRxiv 2024.12.17.628846
Additional Metadata
| Alternative Identifiers | a684ca81-66f3-4d38-863e-463f79220f03 |
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| https://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource?r=arthropod-trait-dataset |