Introducing FAMM: An Open-Access Database of Fossil Arctic Marine Mammals

IF 6 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Global Ecology and Biogeography Pub Date : 2025-09-18 DOI:10.1111/geb.70120

Nicholas A. Freymueller, Arthur S. Dyke, Paul Szpak, Carsten Rahbek, Damien A. Fordham, Eline D. Lorenzen

{"title":"Introducing FAMM: An Open-Access Database of Fossil Arctic Marine Mammals","authors":"Nicholas A. Freymueller, Arthur S. Dyke, Paul Szpak, Carsten Rahbek, Damien A. Fordham, Eline D. Lorenzen","doi":"10.1111/geb.70120","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Motivation</h3>\n \n <p>The Arctic is currently experiencing the strongest effects of climate change on Earth. These effects, including sea ice loss, are already modifying the ecologies of the 11 species of marine mammals found in the Arctic year-round. Data from contemporary individuals are often applied to understand how these species may respond to future climate change. The inclusion of fossil data can provide greater insight into species histories. Conservation approaches are increasingly enhanced by including ancient biomolecular data such as radiocarbon age, stable isotopes, and ancient DNA. However, analytical quality is challenged by data degradation over time, lack of cross-linkage between different ancient biomolecular data, and widely varying metadata standards across fields. Here, we compile and present an open-access database of Fossil Arctic Marine Mammals (FAMM) containing nearly 3400 specimens with harmonised primary and molecular biodiversity data, providing a crucial resource to Arctic biodiversity and environmental research.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Types of Variables Collected</h3>\n \n <p>FAMM contains records and metadata of Arctic marine mammal macrofossils, including: taxonomy; geographic provenance; radiocarbon age; stable isotopes; and ancient DNA. FAMM aligns with Darwin Core standards for reproducibility.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Spatial Location and Grain</h3>\n \n <p>Arctic and sub-Arctic.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Time Period and Grain</h3>\n \n <p>Last Interglacial (130,000 years BP) to ~1500 CE.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Major Taxa and Level of Measurement</h3>\n \n <p>All 11 extant endemic Arctic marine mammal species: bowhead whale (<i>Balaena mysticetus</i>); narwhal (<i>Monodon monoceros</i>); beluga whale (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>); polar bear (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>); walrus (<i>Odobenus rosmarus</i>); ringed seal (<i>Pusa hispida</i>); bearded seal (<i>Erignathus barbatus</i>); hooded seal (<i>Cystophora cristata</i>); harp seal (<i>Pagophilus groenlandicus</i>); spotted seal (<i>Phoca largha</i>); and ribbon seal (<i>Histriophoca fasciata</i>). We also include the historically extinct Steller's sea cow (<i>Hydrodamalis gigas</i>).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Software Format</h3>\n \n <p>Data are provided as three csv files on Dryad: (1) A key describing columns in the FAMM database; and (2) the FAMM database; (3) a key explaining museum acronyms used in FAMM.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":176,"journal":{"name":"Global Ecology and Biogeography","volume":"34 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/geb.70120","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Global Ecology and Biogeography","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.70120","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Motivation

The Arctic is currently experiencing the strongest effects of climate change on Earth. These effects, including sea ice loss, are already modifying the ecologies of the 11 species of marine mammals found in the Arctic year-round. Data from contemporary individuals are often applied to understand how these species may respond to future climate change. The inclusion of fossil data can provide greater insight into species histories. Conservation approaches are increasingly enhanced by including ancient biomolecular data such as radiocarbon age, stable isotopes, and ancient DNA. However, analytical quality is challenged by data degradation over time, lack of cross-linkage between different ancient biomolecular data, and widely varying metadata standards across fields. Here, we compile and present an open-access database of Fossil Arctic Marine Mammals (FAMM) containing nearly 3400 specimens with harmonised primary and molecular biodiversity data, providing a crucial resource to Arctic biodiversity and environmental research.

Types of Variables Collected

FAMM contains records and metadata of Arctic marine mammal macrofossils, including: taxonomy; geographic provenance; radiocarbon age; stable isotopes; and ancient DNA. FAMM aligns with Darwin Core standards for reproducibility.

Spatial Location and Grain

Arctic and sub-Arctic.

Time Period and Grain

Last Interglacial (130,000 years BP) to ~1500 CE.

Major Taxa and Level of Measurement

All 11 extant endemic Arctic marine mammal species: bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus); narwhal (Monodon monoceros); beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas); polar bear (Ursus maritimus); walrus (Odobenus rosmarus); ringed seal (Pusa hispida); bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus); hooded seal (Cystophora cristata); harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus); spotted seal (Phoca largha); and ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata). We also include the historically extinct Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas).

Software Format

Data are provided as three csv files on Dryad: (1) A key describing columns in the FAMM database; and (2) the FAMM database; (3) a key explaining museum acronyms used in FAMM.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

介绍FAMM：一个开放获取的北极海洋哺乳动物化石数据库

北极目前正在经历地球上最强烈的气候变化影响。这些影响，包括海冰的减少，已经在一年四季改变着北极11种海洋哺乳动物的生态。来自当代个体的数据经常被用于了解这些物种如何对未来的气候变化做出反应。包括化石数据可以提供对物种历史更深入的了解。通过包括放射性碳年龄、稳定同位素和古代DNA等古代生物分子数据，保护方法日益得到加强。然而，随着时间的推移，数据退化，不同古代生物分子数据之间缺乏交叉联系，以及不同领域的元数据标准差异很大，这些都对分析质量提出了挑战。在这里，我们编制并提出了一个开放获取的北极海洋哺乳动物化石（FAMM）数据库，包含近3400个标本，并协调了原始和分子生物多样性数据，为北极生物多样性和环境研究提供了重要资源。收集变量类型famm包含北极海洋哺乳动物大型化石的记录和元数据，包括：分类；地理种源;放射性碳测定年代年龄;稳定同位素;和古老的DNA。FAMM符合达尔文核心可重复性标准。空间位置与粮食北极和亚北极。末次间冰期（130,000年BP）至~1500 CE。主要分类群和测量水平现存11种北极特有海洋哺乳动物：弓头鲸（Balaena神秘鲸）；独角鲸；白鲸（Delphinapterus leucas）；北极熊（Ursus maritimus）；海象（海象）；环状海豹；有须海豹（Erignathus barbatus）；冠海豹（Cystophora cristata）；竖琴海豹（Pagophilus groenlandicus）；斑点海豹（Phoca largha）；带状海豹（Histriophoca fasciata）。我们还包括历史上灭绝的斯特勒海牛（Hydrodamalis gigas）。软件格式数据在Dryad上以三个csv文件的形式提供：(1)FAMM数据库中描述列的键；(2) FAMM数据库；(3) FAMM中博物馆缩略语的关键解释。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Global Ecology and Biogeography 环境科学-生态学

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

3.10%

发文量

170

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Global Ecology and Biogeography (GEB) welcomes papers that investigate broad-scale (in space, time and/or taxonomy), general patterns in the organization of ecological systems and assemblages, and the processes that underlie them. In particular, GEB welcomes studies that use macroecological methods, comparative analyses, meta-analyses, reviews, spatial analyses and modelling to arrive at general, conceptual conclusions. Studies in GEB need not be global in spatial extent, but the conclusions and implications of the study must be relevant to ecologists and biogeographers globally, rather than being limited to local areas, or specific taxa. Similarly, GEB is not limited to spatial studies; we are equally interested in the general patterns of nature through time, among taxa (e.g., body sizes, dispersal abilities), through the course of evolution, etc. Further, GEB welcomes papers that investigate general impacts of human activities on ecological systems in accordance with the above criteria.