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Biodiversity Databases

The document provides an overview of open source databases related to biodiversity, detailing their focus on specimen-level and species-level information. It highlights various databases such as AlgaeBase, iNaturalist, and CITES, which store ecological and taxonomic data. Additionally, it discusses the significance of CITES in protecting endangered species through international trade regulations.

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26 views10 pages

Biodiversity Databases

The document provides an overview of open source databases related to biodiversity, detailing their focus on specimen-level and species-level information. It highlights various databases such as AlgaeBase, iNaturalist, and CITES, which store ecological and taxonomic data. Additionally, it discusses the significance of CITES in protecting endangered species through international trade regulations.

Uploaded by

vani jain
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Aim: To get acquainted with open source databases of biodiversity

• The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of


life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems. It refers to the
variety and variability of organisms (microbes, plants and animals) in a
region
• Biodiversity databases store distribution (spatial) data and ecological
data and taxonomic information of the biodiversity of a particular area or
group of living organisms.
• They may store specimen-level information, species-level information,
information on nomenclature, or any combination of these.
• Most are available online.
• Specimen-focused databases contain data about individual specimens, as
represented by vouchered museum specimens, collections of specimen
photographs, data on field-based specimen observations and
morphological or genetic data.
What is a voucher specimen?
•It supports research work and may be examined to verify the
identity or study other elements of the specimen. A voucher
specimen must be deposited in a recognized herbarium
committed to long-term maintenance.
• Species-focused databases contain information summarized at the
species-level.
• Some species-focused databases attempt to compile comprehensive
data about particular species (FishBase), while others focus on
particular species attributes, such as checklists of species in a given
area (FEOW) or the conservation status of species (CITES or IUCN Red
List).
S.No Name of data base Focus Collection

1 Algae and other Higher taxonomy, scientific names, common


oxygenic names, images, distribution, references
AlgaeBase photosynthesisers other
than embryophyte land
plants
2 Geolocated observations, location checklists,
iNaturalist All forms of life taxonomic information, range maps
3 Wikispecies All forms of life Higher taxonomy, synonyms, vernacular names,
references
4 All forms of life large Geolocated individual observations and other
iSpot information produced by citizen science
enough to photograph participants
5 CITES species All species ever listed in Scientific names, higher taxonomy, distribution,
database CITES Appendices I, II or photos and CITES quota
III
6 Apart from taxonomic system, it has gallery,
BioLib - Biological BioLib is an international glossary, vernacular names dictionary, database of
Library encyclopedia of plants, links and literature, systems of biotopes,
fungi and animals. discussion forum and several other functions
related to biology.
7 A Database of Plants of West Bengal richness of floral diversity of West Bengal
Plant Biodiversity
of West Bengal
(WBPBDIVDB)
• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a
multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the
threats of international trade.
• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of
members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into
force on 1 July 1975.
• Its aim is to ensure that international trade (import/export) in specimens
of animals and plants included under CITES, does not threaten the
survival of the species in the wild.
• CITES affords varying degrees of protection to more than 38,000 species.
GBIF is the largest global database of species occurrence records.
Its headquarters in are in Copenhagen, Denmark

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