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ABSTRACT Trait‐based approaches are key to understanding eco‐evolutionary processes but rarely account for animal behaviour despite its central role in ecosystem dynamics. We propose integrating behaviour into trait‐based ecology through movement traits—standardised and comparable measures of animal movement derived from biologging data, such as daily displacements or range sizes. Accounting for animal behaviour will advance trait‐based research on species interactions, community structure and ecosystem functioning. Importantly, movement traits allow for quantification of behavioural reaction norms, offering insights into species’ acclimation and adaptive capacity to environmental change. We outline a vision for a ‘living’ global movement trait database that enhances trait data curation by (1) continuously growing alongside shared biologging data, (2) calculating traits directly from individual‐level data using standardised, consistent methodology and (3) providing information on multi‐level (species, individual, within‐individual) trait variation. We present a proof‐of‐concept ‘MoveTraits’ database with 52 mammal and 97 bird species, demonstrating calculation workflows for 5 traits across multiple timescales. Movement traits have significant potential to improve trait‐based global change predictions and contribute to global biodiversity assessments as Essential Biodiversity Variables. By making animal movement data more accessible and interpretable, this database could bridge the gap between movement ecology and biodiversity policy, facilitating evidence‐based conservation.
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ZooTraits: An R shiny app for exploring animal trait data for ecological and evolutionary research
Abstract Animal trait data are scattered across several datasets, making it challenging to compile and compare trait information across different groups. For plants, the TRY database has been an unwavering success for those ecologists interested in addressing how plant traits influence a wide variety of processes and patterns, but the same is not true for most animal taxonomic groups. Here, we introduce ZooTraits, a Shiny app designed to help users explore and obtain animal trait data for research in ecology and evolution. ZooTraits was developed to tackle the challenge of finding in a single site information of multiple trait datasets and facilitating access to traits by providing an easy‐to‐use, open‐source platform. This app combines datasets centralized in the Open Trait Network, raw data from the AnimalTraits database, and trait information for animals compiled by Gonçalves‐Souza et al. (2023,Ecology and Evolution13, e10016). Importantly, the ZooTraits app can be accessed freely and provides a user‐friendly interface through three functionalities that will allow users to easily visualize, compare, download, and upload trait data across the animal tree of life—ExploreTrait,FeedTrait, andGetTrait. By usingExploreTraitandGetTrait, users can explore, compare, and extract 3954 trait records from 23,394 species centralized in the Open Traits Network, and trait data for ~2000 species from the AnimalTraits database. The app summarizes trait information for numerous taxonomic groups within the Animal Kingdom, encompassing data from diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and various geographic regions worldwide. Moreover, ZooTraits enables researchers to upload trait information, serving as a hub for a continually expanding global trait database. By promoting the centralization of trait datasets and offering a platform for data sharing, ZooTraits is facilitating advancements in trait‐based ecological and evolutionary studies. We hope that other trait databases will evolve to mirror the approach we have outlined here.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2021898
- PAR ID:
- 10589852
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Ecology and Evolution
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2045-7758
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11334
