Taxon Expert - Documentation
We divided the Taxon Expert work into three main tasks:
- Answer the questionnaire proposed here.
- Review the nomenclature of the taxa and complete the fields summarized in Table 1. We will provide a Google Sheet document with all the information for review and completion.
- Add any taxa missing from our checklist and fill in the metadata described in the previous point.
Tab. 1 Taxon expert fields review with details and notes.
| Colum name | Detail | Note |
|---|---|---|
| System | The term system refers to the broad ecological environment or habitat a species primarily inhabits. | Labels (in bold) and definition are reported below |
| degreeOfEstablishment | As defined by the Darwin Core framework, the "degreeOfEstablishment" refers to the extent to which an organism survives, reproduces, and expands its range in a given location and timeframe. It reflects how well a species is established in a particular environment, based on its ability to persist and spread. For our purposes, we have utilized all the terms proposed by the Darwin Core, along with additional terms deemed relevant for our scope (with the originally proposed Darwin Core terms in bold). | Labels (in bold) and definition are reported below |
| cites | If the species has been listed under the CITES directive. | Boolean field |
| directiva_aves | If the species has been listed under the Birds directive. | Boolean field |
| lespre | If the species has been listed under the LESPRE (Listado de Especies Silvestres en Régimen de Protección Especial). | Boolean field |
| ceea | If the species has been listed under the CEEA (Catálogo Español de Especies Amenazadas). | Boolean field |
| directiva_habitat | If the species has been listed under the Habitat directive. | Boolean field |
| Habitat | With this information we aim to provide information on the habitat in which a species occurs. | Labels (in bold) and definition are reported below |
| source | This field defines where the information concerning the system, degree of establishment, and habitat was obtained. It can simply be the expert’s name or the title of a book or paper. | |
| origin | This field identifies the type of source, e.g., expert, database, etc. | Labels (in bold) and definition are reported below |
| note | Add personal comments. |
Field definitions
System
- Terrestrial: Species that primarily inhabit land-based ecosystems (e.g., forests, grasslands, deserts).
- Freshwater: Species that depend on freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- Marine: Species that inhabit saltwater environments, including oceans, coral reefs, and coastal areas.
Degree of Establishment
- Unknown: The establishment status of the organism is uncertain or unrecorded.
- Doubtful: The organism is suspected to have minimal survival or reproductive success in the area.
- Absent: The organism is not present in the location, or it has failed to establish.
- Endemic: The organism is native and restricted to a specific geographic area.
- Native: Not transported beyond the limits of native range.
- Captive: Individuals in captivity or quarantine (i.e. individuals provided with conditions suitable for them, but explicit measures of containment are in place).
- Cultivated: Individuals in cultivation (i.e. individuals provided with conditions suitable for them, but explicit measures to prevent dispersal are limited at best).
- Released: Individuals directly released into a novel environment.
- Failing: Individuals released outside of captivity or cultivation in a location, but incapable of surviving for a significant period.
- Casual: Individuals surviving outside of captivity or cultivation in a location, no reproduction.
- Reproducing: Individuals surviving outside of captivity or cultivation in a location, reproduction is occurring, but the population is not self-sustaining.
- Established: Individuals surviving outside of captivity or cultivation in a location, reproduction occurring, and population self-sustaining.
- Colonising: Self-sustaining population outside of captivity or cultivation, with individuals surviving a significant distance from the original point of introduction.
- Invasive: Self-sustaining population outside of captivity or cultivation, with individuals surviving and reproducing a significant distance from the original point of introduction.
- Widespread Invasive: Fully invasive species, with individuals dispersing, surviving and reproducing at multiple sites across a greater or lesser spectrum of habitats and extent of occurrence.
Habitat
- Forest: Areas dominated by trees, including tropical, temperate, and boreal forests.
- Savanna: Grasslands with scattered trees, typically found in tropical and subtropical regions.
- Shrubland: Areas covered by shrubs and small trees, often in dry or semi-arid climates.
- Grassland: Open landscapes dominated by grasses, with few or no trees.
- Wetlands (inland): Areas with standing or flowing freshwater, such as swamps, marshes, and bogs.
- Rocky areas: Habitats with exposed rock, such as cliffs, mountains, and rocky outcrops.
- Caves & subterranean habitats (non-aquatic): Underground environments, including dry caves and tunnels.
- Desert: Dry, arid regions with sparse vegetation and extreme temperature variations.
- Marine neritic: Shallow coastal waters, including coral reefs and continental shelves.
- Marine oceanic: Open ocean beyond the continental shelf, with deep waters.
- Marine deep ocean floor: The seafloor at great depths, including benthic and demersal zones.
- Marine intertidal: Coastal areas exposed to air at low tide and submerged at high tide.
- Marine coastal/supratidal: Coastal zones above the high tide line, such as salt marshes and dunes.
- Artificial/terrestrial: Human-made environments, like urban areas, farmland, and plantations.
- Artificial/aquatic: Human-created water bodies, such as reservoirs, canals, and ponds.
- Introduced vegetation: Areas dominated by non-native plant species.
- Other: Habitats that do not fit into the defined categories.
- Unknown: Habitat not specified or not well-documented.
Origin
- Database: A structured collection of data stored and accessed electronically.
- Journal article: Citation of a scientific or academic article.
- Book: Citation of a book.
- Web page: Link to a website.
- Document: Any written or printed material that provides information.
- Expert: A person with specialized knowledge or skills in a particular area.