Ara Monadjem, Cecilia Montauban, Paul W Webala, Theresa M Laverty, Eric M Bakwo-Fils, Laura Torrent, Iroro Tanshi, Adam Kane, Abigail L Rutrough, David L Waldien, Peter J Taylor
{"title":"African bat database: curated data of occurrences, distributions and conservation metrics for sub-Saharan bats.","authors":"Ara Monadjem, Cecilia Montauban, Paul W Webala, Theresa M Laverty, Eric M Bakwo-Fils, Laura Torrent, Iroro Tanshi, Adam Kane, Abigail L Rutrough, David L Waldien, Peter J Taylor","doi":"10.1038/s41597-024-04170-7","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate knowledge of species distributions is foundational for effective conservation efforts. Bats are a diverse group of mammals, with important roles in ecosystem functioning. However, our understanding of bats and their ecological importance is hindered by poorly defined ranges, mostly as a result of under-recording. This issue is exacerbated in Africa by the ongoing rapid discovery of new species, both de novo and splits of existing species, and by inaccessibility to museum specimens that are mostly hosted outside of the continent. Here we present the African bat database - a curated set of 17,285 unique locality records of all 266 species of bats from sub-Saharan Africa, vouched for by specimens and/or genetic sequencing, and aligned with current taxonomy. Based on these records, we also present Maxent-based distribution models and calculate the IUCN Red List metrics for Extent of Occurrence and Area of Occupancy. This database and online visualization tool provide an important open-source resource and is expected to significantly advance studies in ecology, and aid in bat conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21597,"journal":{"name":"Scientific Data","volume":"11 1","pages":"1309"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11611906/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Scientific Data","FirstCategoryId":"103","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04170-7","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Accurate knowledge of species distributions is foundational for effective conservation efforts. Bats are a diverse group of mammals, with important roles in ecosystem functioning. However, our understanding of bats and their ecological importance is hindered by poorly defined ranges, mostly as a result of under-recording. This issue is exacerbated in Africa by the ongoing rapid discovery of new species, both de novo and splits of existing species, and by inaccessibility to museum specimens that are mostly hosted outside of the continent. Here we present the African bat database - a curated set of 17,285 unique locality records of all 266 species of bats from sub-Saharan Africa, vouched for by specimens and/or genetic sequencing, and aligned with current taxonomy. Based on these records, we also present Maxent-based distribution models and calculate the IUCN Red List metrics for Extent of Occurrence and Area of Occupancy. This database and online visualization tool provide an important open-source resource and is expected to significantly advance studies in ecology, and aid in bat conservation.
期刊介绍:
Scientific Data is an open-access journal focused on data, publishing descriptions of research datasets and articles on data sharing across natural sciences, medicine, engineering, and social sciences. Its goal is to enhance the sharing and reuse of scientific data, encourage broader data sharing, and acknowledge those who share their data.
The journal primarily publishes Data Descriptors, which offer detailed descriptions of research datasets, including data collection methods and technical analyses validating data quality. These descriptors aim to facilitate data reuse rather than testing hypotheses or presenting new interpretations, methods, or in-depth analyses.