NZTD - The New Zealand Trait Database for shallow-water marine benthic invertebrates

Abstract

Macrobenthic traits, for example feeding mode, life history, morphology, are increasingly used for determining responses of macrobenthic fauna to environmental change and influences on ecosystem functioning. Yet, trait information is scarce or non-existent in several parts of the world, such as New Zealand. This deficit makes collecting trait data a difficult and time-consuming task, limiting its potential use in trait-based assessments. Here, we present the New Zealand Trait Database (NZTD) for marine benthic invertebrates, the first comprehensive assessment of macrobenthic traits in New Zealand. The NZTD provides trait information for more than 700 macrobenthic taxa, categorised by 18 traits and 77 trait modalities. The NZTD includes five freely downloadable datasets, (1) the macrobenthic trait dataset, with outcomes from a fuzzy coding procedure, (2) the trait source information, (3) the references by taxa, (4) the full references list, and (5) the full taxa list used in the NZTD. Establishing the NZTD closes the trait knowledge gap in New Zealand and facilitates future research applying trait-based approaches to New Zealand’s coastal macrofauna.

A morphological traits dataset of Heteroptera sampled in biodiversity priority areas of Southwest China

“…Over the past few decades, regional and global trait datasets for various biological taxa have been sequentially established, with traits becoming an increasingly utilized research element within the fields of ecology, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and landscape management 1,5,9,10 . Despite global efforts to construct trait databases, the majority of existing databases are primarily focused on plants, birds, and amphibians, representing relatively small taxonomic groups [11][12][13][14][15] . In contrast, focusing on insect taxa presents a formidable challenge due to the vast number of species, making the collection of research-valuable trait data a daunting task.…”