The coral trait database: a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans

Madin, Joshua S., Anderson, Kristen D., Andreasen, Magnus Heide, Bridge, Tom C.L., Cairns, Stephen d., Connolly, Sean R., Darling, Emily S., Diaz, Marcela, Falster, Daniel S., Franklin, Erik C., Gates, Ruth, Hoogenboom, Mia O., Huang, Danwei, Keith, Sally A., Kosnik, Matthew A., Kuo, Chao-Yang, Lough, Janice M., Lovelock, Catherine E., Luiz, Osmar, Martinelli, Julieta, Mizerek, Toni, Pandolfi, John M., Pochon, Xavier, Pratchett, Morgan S., Putnam, Hollie M., Roberts, T. Edward, Stat, Michael, Wallace, Carden C., Widman, Elizabeth, and Baird, Andrew H. (2016) The coral trait database: a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans. Scientific Data, 3. 160017. pp. 1-21.

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Abstract

Trait-based approaches advance ecological and evolutionary research because traits provide a strong link to an organism's function and fitness. Trait-based research might lead to a deeper understanding of the functions of, and services provided by, ecosystems, thereby improving management, which is vital in the current era of rapid environmental change. Coral reef scientists have long collected trait data for corals; however, these are difficult to access and often under-utilized in addressing large-scale questions. We present the Coral Trait Database initiative that aims to bring together physiological, morphological, ecological, phylogenetic and biogeographic trait information into a single repository. The database houses species-and individual-level data from published field and experimental studies alongside contextual data that provide important framing for analyses. In this data descriptor, we release data for 56 traits for 1547 species, and present a collaborative platform on which other trait data are being actively federated. Our overall goal is for the Coral Trait Database to become an open-source, community-led data clearinghouse that accelerates coral reef research.

Item ID: 47119
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2052-4463
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material.

Funders: Australian Research Council (ARC), Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF), Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
Projects and Grants: ARC Future Fellowship, ARC Discovery Project DP0986179
Date Deposited: 18 Jan 2017 07:45
FoR Codes: 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960808 Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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