— Archaeologists find new evidence of animals being introduced to prehistoric Caribbean — An archaeological research team from North Carolina State University, the University of Washington and University of Florida has found one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric…
— Microscopic worms could hold the key to living life on Mars — The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have up sticks and colonise space. But is the human body up to the challenge?…
— Chemical warfare of stealthy silverfish — A co-evolutionary arms race exists between social insects and their parasites. Army ants (Leptogenys distinguenda) share their nests with several parasites such as beetles, snails and…
— Stinky frogs are a treasure trove of antibiotic substances — Some of the nastiest smelling creatures on Earth have skin that produces the greatest known variety of anti-bacterial substances that hold promise for becoming new weapons in the battle…
— Genetic code of first arachnid cracked — An international team of scientists - including Ghent VIB scientists - has succeeded in deciphering the genome of the spider mite. This is also the first known genome of an arachnid.…
— How bats 'hear' objects in their path — By placing real and virtual objects in the flight paths of bats, scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Munich have shed new light on how echolocation works. Their research is…
— Counting cats: The endangered snow leopards of the Himalayas — The elusive snow leopard (Panthera uncia) lives high in the mountains across Central Asia. Despite potentially living across 12 countries the actual numbers of this beautiful large…
— Surprise role of nuclear structure protein in development — Scientists have long held theories about the importance of proteins called B-type lamins in the process of embryonic stem cells replicating and differentiating into different varieties…
— Pregnancy is a drag for bottlenose dolphins — Lumbering around during the final weeks before delivery is tough for any pregnant mum. Most females adjust their movements to compensate for the extreme physical changes that accompany…
Large gaps in data available to the GBIF revealed
Biologists and computer scientists have appealed for more information on the world's biodiversity to be stored digitally so it may better be used to understand the impact of climate change on the Earth's flora and fauna.
A study, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and conducted by biologists at the University of Reading and computer scientists at the University of Cardiff, has revealed large gaps in data available to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - the world's largest single data network which gives access to millions of current digitised biodiversity records.
The paper was published in the November 7 issue of the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE. The team, which included Dr Alastair Culham and Mr Chris Yesson from the University of Reading's School of Biological Sciences, used the Legume family as a test case to review the quality of this huge data set. Dr Culham said: 'GBIF provides a fantastic resource that may prove vital in understanding the impacts of global climate change at this critical time. However, the large gaps in data that exist in the GBIF network are a clarion call for the governments of the world's developed nations to invest more money to support institutions and scientists around the world in their quest to digitise, publish and upload more of the data presently hidden in museums.
We put particular emphasis on the quality of location information stored with each specimen record, and the breadth of coverage for known species. In our research we found that over 500 000 records for Legumes are available within the GBIF 'super database.''
Mr Yesson said: 'Although this seems at first glance to be a large dataset, our research revealed major gaps in the coverage of this data. Many Legume species, around 70%, have never been formally recorded in digital collections, or have too few good quality records to be useful. Also, many of the specimen records that are available online have issues that make the location information associated with these records unusable for many purposes. In many cases the most biologically diverse regions of the world have little or no data available online. A focussed effort on these areas will create a truly global resource that creates unparalleled opportunities for understanding the world's biodiversity.'
Article: Yesson C, Brewer PW, Sutton T, Caithness N, Pahwa JS, et al (2007) How Global Is the Global Biodiversity Information Facility? PLoS ONE 2 (11): e1124. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001124.
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
New monkey discovered in Brazil
Scientists find new actions of neurochemicals
Study reveals how snakes slither on flat terrain
'Jellyfish joyride' a threat to the oceans