The AusTraits plant dictionary

Elizabeth H Wenk; Hervé Sauquet; Rachael V Gallagher; Rowan Brownlee; Carl Boettiger; David Coleman; Sophie Yang; Tony Auld; Russell Barrett; Timothy Brodribb; Brendan Choat; Lily Dun; David Ellsworth; Carl Gosper; Lydia Guja; Gregory J Jordan; Tom Le Breton; Andrea Leigh; Patricia Lu-Irving; Belinda Medlyn; Rachael Nolan; Mark Ooi; Karen D Sommerville; Peter Vesk; Matthew White; Ian J Wright; Daniel S Falster

doi:10.1038/s41597-024-03368-z

The AusTraits plant dictionary

Sci Data. 2024 May 25;11(1):537. doi: 10.1038/s41597-024-03368-z.

Authors

Elizabeth H Wenk¹, Hervé Sauquet^{2

3}, Rachael V Gallagher⁴, Rowan Brownlee⁵, Carl Boettiger⁶, David Coleman^{2

7}, Sophie Yang², Tony Auld^{8

9

10}, Russell Barrett^{2

3}, Timothy Brodribb¹¹, Brendan Choat⁴, Lily Dun^{2

3

4}, David Ellsworth⁴, Carl Gosper¹², Lydia Guja^{13

14}, Gregory J Jordan¹¹, Tom Le Breton¹⁰, Andrea Leigh¹⁵, Patricia Lu-Irving³, Belinda Medlyn⁴, Rachael Nolan⁴, Mark Ooi¹⁰, Karen D Sommerville¹⁶, Peter Vesk¹⁷, Matthew White¹⁸, Ian J Wright^{4

7}, Daniel S Falster²

Affiliations

¹ Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. ehwenk@gmail.com.
² Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
³ National Herbarium of NSW, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Mount Annan, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Australian Research Data Commons, Caulfield East, Australia.
⁶ Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
⁷ School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, Australia.
⁸ NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Parramatta, Australia.
⁹ University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
¹⁰ Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Syndey, Australia.
¹¹ School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
¹² Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, Australia.
¹³ Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Canberra, Australia.
¹⁴ National Seed Bank, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra, Australia.
¹⁵ School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia.
¹⁶ Australian PlantBank, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Mount Annan, Australia.
¹⁷ School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
¹⁸ Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, East Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

Traits with intuitive names, a clear scope and explicit description are essential for all trait databases. The lack of unified, comprehensive, and machine-readable plant trait definitions limits the utility of trait databases, including reanalysis of data from a single database, or analyses that integrate data across multiple databases. Both can only occur if researchers are confident the trait concepts are consistent within and across sources. Here we describe the AusTraits Plant Dictionary (APD), a new data source of terms that extends the trait definitions included in a recent trait database, AusTraits. The development process of the APD included three steps: review and formalisation of the scope of each trait and the accompanying trait description; addition of trait metadata; and publication in both human and machine-readable forms. Trait definitions include keywords, references, and links to related trait concepts in other databases, enabling integration of AusTraits with other sources. The APD will both improve the usability of AusTraits and foster the integration of trait data across global and regional plant trait databases.

Publication types

Dataset

MeSH terms

Databases, Factual
Dictionaries as Topic
Plants*