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BioTime: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene

Formally Refereed

Abstract

The BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the anthropocene.Main types of variables included: The database contains 8 773 553 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of two, not necessarily consecutive, years. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.Spatial location and grain: BioTIME is a global database of 547 161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1 000 000 000000 cm2).Time period and grain: BioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimum temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is year.Major taxa and level of measurement: BioTIME includes data from 44 360 species across the plant an animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton, and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.

Keywords

biodiversity, global, spatial, species richness, temporal, turnover

Citation

Domelas, Maria; Antao, Laura H.; Moyes, Faye; Bates, Amanda E.; Gould, William A.; Henshaw, Donald L. et al. 2018. BioTime: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene. Global Ecology and Biogeorgraphy. 27: 760-786.  27 p. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12729
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/56437