Biodiversity Informatics

Guggul - an oleo-resin gum of immense medicinal value is tapped from a bushy shrub Commiphora wightii (Arnott) Bhandari distributed in semi-arid and rocky regions in Indian sub continent. C. wightii is an IUCN data deficient plant. Increase in the annual demand of guggul gum to the tune of 1000 metric ton, there is an increase in destructive tapping of C. wightii, which is a serious concern. Generally guggul gum from the site of its tapping to the site of processing or value addition being distantly far off, improper post harvest handling, storage and transport results in qualitative loss of its crucial bio-active compounds. Among the four containers (earthen clay pot, plastic jar, polythene bag and jute bag) evaluated for long term storage of guggul the earthen clay pot was the best in terms of Total Guggulsterone (TG) content. In earthen clay pot the TG of guggul gum was maintained over 1% for four months while Total Volatile Oils (TVO) 1% for nine months. In jute bag TG rapidly d...

The 'Western Ghats' is a mega biodiversity region as well as a biodiversity hotspot with varied flora, fauna, and landscapes. The distribution and magnitude of the biodiversity that exists today is a product of over 3.5 billion years of evolution, involving speciation, migration, extinction, and more recently, human influence. This study mainly focused on the diversity of plant life as an essential underpinning of most of the tropical ecosystem and the certain faunal components, particularly in the wet zones of the region. The existing information on species richness and endemicity of taxa shoes the environmental, ecological, and biogeographical importance of this region. The natural ecosystems of this hotspot are under threat by the increasingly adverse effects of human impacts on the environment and urgent conservation action is needed, especially in augmenting the protected area network. Unless actions are taken to protect biodiversity, the opportunity of reaping its full potential benefit to mankind will be lost forever. This necessitates balanced exploitation and conservation of the nation's resources, especially plant and animal resources. There is also the need for increasing the level of scientific collaboration in biodiversity studies in the 'Western Ghats' region.

ECOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN LAKE AYATA (OUED RIGH VALLEY: NORTHERN ALGERIAN SAHARA).
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ABSTRACT: Ayata Lake (155 ha) belongs to the complex of wetlands of Oued Righ Valley in Algerian Lower-Sahara. This study conducted between October 2009 and June 2010 has allowed a bioecological characterization of both biotic and abiotic elements of the site.
Flora and fauna Inventories have revealed existence of 13 plant species, 03 fish, 02 amphibians, 06 reptiles, 55 birds and 07 mammals. The flora of the site is mapped then the dynamics of dominant plant species is assessed by GIS software. Bio-ecological Statuses (faunal, trophic, phenological and protection) are attributed to the species surveyed and they are discussed. The spatiotemporal occupation of the lake by birds is mapped and detailed. Furthermore, this study includes a general review on wetlands ecosystems. Wetlands of the Lower-Sahara region (Ziban, Souf, valley of Oued Righ, and Ouargla) are inventoried, classified and mapped. This approach helped to highlight the biological resources of Ayata Lake and determine its actual ecological value. This can lead to propose suggestions for management and conservation close to its socioeconomic status in a sustainable development view.

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RÉSUMÉ: Le Lac Ayata (155 ha) appartient au complexe des zones humides de la Vallée d’Oued Righ au Bas-Sahara algérien. L’étude menée entre octobre 2009 et juin 2010 a permis une caractérisation bioécologique des éléments tant biotiques qu’abiotiques du site. Les inventaires de la flore et de la faune ont révélé l’existence de 13 espèces végétales, 03 poissons, 02 amphibiens, 06 reptiles, 55 oiseaux et 07 mammifères. La flore du site est cartographiée et la dynamique saisonnière des espèces dominantes est estimée par un logiciel de SIG. Des statuts bioécologiques (fauniques, trophiques, phénologiques et de protection) sont attribués aux espèces animales inventoriées puis ils sont discutés. L’occupation spatiotemporelle du lac par l’avifaune est cartographiée et détaillée. Par ailleurs, cette étude comporte des connaissances générales sur les des zones humides. Celles-ci sont inventoriées, classifiées puis cartographies dans la région du Bas-Sahara (Ziban, Souf, Vallée d’Oued Righ et Ouargla). Cette approche a permis de mettre en valeur les ressources biologiques du site et de déterminer son importance écologique. Ceci peut aboutir à des suggestions de gestion et de conservation étroites à son état socioéconomique dans une prospection d’un développement durable.

(english)
I. V. Karatygin, N. S. Snigirevskaya, and S. V. Vikulin
Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Professora Popova 2, St. Petersburg, 197376 Russia

Silicified fossils from Rhynie cherts in Scotland are studied. A lichen belonging to the genus Winfrenatia is detected and studied. This oldest terrestrial lichen is dated to the Pragian (=Siegenian) of the Early Devonian. New characters of the lichen are described, and their new interpretation is given. The main component of the lichen thallus is a filamentous cyanobacterium (Nostocales). Structures which were interpreted as fungal hyphae are probably hollow sheaths of this cyanobacterium. Mycobiont hyphae develop at the base of the thallus and symbiose with a coccoid cyanobacterium. Thus, Winfrenatia reticulata is a three-parted organism, constituted of a mycobiont and filamentous and coccoid cyanobacteria.

Birds’ ecological functions cover a wide spectrum, from creating soil to shaping primate behavior, and many species play key ecological roles, such as decomposition, predation, pollination, nutrient deposition, and seed dispersal. From an ecosystem functional perspective, birds are mobile links that are crucial for maintaining ecosystem function, memory, and resilience. The three main types of mobile links, genetic, process, and resource linkers, encompass all major avian ecosystem services. Rapid losses of tropical bird species may cause substantial reductions in certain ecosystem processes before we have time to study and understand the underlying mechanisms.

India woke up to the potential of its immense bio-heritage and took steps to safeguard it by enacting several laws including Biodiversity Act. This is the time to find innovative solutions for conserving biodiversity and to provide effectual revenue models for native populations instead of just passing laws which are good on paper but remain toothless. The onus of safeguarding biodiversity is not just on Government or indigenous communities but on all of us as this is our common heritage. Policies are implemented in true spirit only when there is widespread knowledge about them. This paper explains in brief the concepts of ownership of biodiversity, factors responsible for its loss, economic advantage, access and benefits sharing, legislative measures and suggests ways of conserving biodiversity.

El endemismo es un concepto comúnmente usado para identificar a taxones nativos o grupos biológicos con área de distribución restringida. Sin embargo, el endemismo tiene diferentes interpretaciones de acuerdo a la aproximación usada para los análisis biogeográficos (ecológico o histórico). Los múltiples usos del endemismo han llevado a proponer otros conceptos relacionados con las áreas geográficas ocupadas por los taxones endémicos (área endémica, área de endemismo, centro de endemismo). En algunos casos los resultados de las técnicas y  protocolos usados para evaluar el endemismo son malinterpretados, ya que en la literatura los tres términos son usados como sinónimos. En este orden de ideas, esta revisión discute el concepto de endemismo y su aplicación en múltiples campos del conocimiento. Además, se comparan y discuten las técnicas y protocolos usados para evaluar el endemismo. Se concluye que es necesario el uso de un concepto unificado del endemismo, lo cual podría facilitar su interpretación
tanto en ecología como en conservación y biogeografía.

ABSTRACT. Endemism is a concept commonly used to identify native
taxa or biological groups with restricted range. However, the endemism
has different interpretations according to the approach used in the biogeographic analysis (ecological or historical). The multiples interpretations of endemism have led to propose other concepts related
with the geographical areas occupied by the endemic taxa (endemic
area, area of endemism, center of endemism). In some cases, the results
of the technics and protocols used to evaluate the endemism are
misinterpreted because in the literature endemic area, area of endemism
and center of endemism are used as synonyms. In this order
of ideas, this review discusses the concept of endemism, and its application in multiples knowledge fields. The technics and protocols to
evaluate the endemism are discussed and compared. It is concluded
that it is necessary to use a unified concept of endemism, which could
facilitate the interpretation of the endemism in ecology, conservation
and biogeography.

Bibliographies are lists which convey idenfication information of different publications like books,
papers and articles on specific subjects in a certain order. They are prepared with the intention to provide
those who conduct studies in a certain field with the related source material in its entirety. They make it
possible to quickly review previous work on the subject being studied. They also provide an opportunity to
make more realistic, effective and less time consuming plans in reaching the target.
The first comprehensive bibliography on entomology and agricultural zoology in Turkey was
prepared by Prof. Dr. Feyzi Önder, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Karsavuran, Dr. E. Pervin Önder, Dr. Aynur Önuçar and
Dr. Ertaç Tutkun within the study framework of Turkish Entomology Association. It was printed in 1982 by the
General Directorate of Plant Protection and Quarantine under the name of “Bibliography of Entomology
and Agricultural Zoology of Turkey (Fauna, Pest Control, Pests of Plants, Methods) (1595-1978)”. The
second bibliography in this field was prepared by Prof. Dr. Feyzi Önder, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Karsavuran, Dr. E.
Pervin Önder, Dr. Ertaç Tutkun and Prof. Dr. Serdar Tezcan and was published by TURDOK, Tübitak-
Turkish Scientific and Technical Documentation Center in 1986 under the name of “Bibliography of
Entomology and Agricultural Zoology of Turkey (1979-1983)”. Bibliographical information of 4416
publications are available in the first of these bibliographies and there are 1361 of them in the second
bibliography. Bibliographical information of a total of 5777 publications are classified by topics and can be
found in these two volumes.
In the 30 years since 1983 there are numerous new research institutes and universities opened in
Turkey. As a consequence, new researchers were bred and have conducted and finished projects in the
fields of entomology and agricultural zoology. Additionally, technical developments in printing techniques
resulted with many new journals and periodicals. And, also, the number and frequency of scientific meetings
increased. All these have played a role in the considerably increased number of publications. Advancements
in the areas of communication and information technologies had marked influence on, especially, the second
half of the last 30-year period. They effected the production speed of information as well as the speed of
reaching this information. While some of the produced information was instantaneously attainable, some was
harder to be reached due to the huge amount of information output.
In the preparation phase of the book called “650 Entomologists, Acarologists and Nematologists from
Turkey with Their Brief Life Histories” written by Prof. Dr. Serdar Tezcan and Dr. Füsun Tezcan which was
published by the Entomological Society of Turkey, scientists who conducted studies in these topics were
contacted. Along with their biographical information, information concerning their publications as of
December 31, 2011 was also tried to be gathered.
Within the scope of the studies which lasted approximately seven months, authors were requested to
send in their work from their publication lists which were in line with the concept of this publication. Those
which were present in previous bibliographies were sorted out and the remaining which belonged to the 28-
year period between 1984-2011 were compiled. They were standardized to the best that it could and have
been listed alphabetically by the author last names. Those publications which belonged to a period before
1984 but not found in previous bibliographies were also included in this compilation. It should be noted that
X
this study which features 10823 publications does not contain all literature published between 1984-2011.
Some works of our colleagues could not be included in this study because they did not tend to share their
publication lists despite they were accessed. Furthermore, the publications which belonged to foreign
researchers could only be included if they were co-produced with a local colleague. Unfortunately, their other
studies could not be included. It should also be noted that, differing from previous ones, the entries in this
book are not classified according to their topics.
The contents of this study is subject to become out of date quickly due to the rapid output rate of
information today. For this reason, this book has been printed in a limited number and has been distributed
to libraries and documentation centers. In order to facilitate and spread the utilization of the book, an e-book
format of it is posted in the electronic library in the website of the Entomological Society of Turkey
(http://www.entomoloji.org.tr/). This will make it available free of charge for those local and foreign
people who wish to make use of it. The e-book can be scanned or bibliographical information can be
extracted by writing either the author of the publication, title or name of the journal after clicking on the
related file.
The pdf files of the two volumes of Bibliography of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology of
Turkey, within the scope of a graduation thesis written in 2013 in the Department of Plant Protection of Ege
University, Faculty of Agriculture, has been posted in the abovementioned website with the intention to
facilitate the scanning of publications prior to 1984. We would like to point out that this will enable the user to
make use of the old publications by using the same method.
It is technologically easy to access information today; however, it may be harder to find it in a short
period of time due to the increased speed of output of information. We are wishing that this bibliographical
reference we have prepared will further contribute to the production of new knowledge today. We are
thinking that the target audience who would make use of this reference book is comprised of researchers in
the fields of biology, agriculture, forestry, veterinary, medicine, environmental sciences and standing on the
top of the list are our young colleagues who will study in the fields of entomology, acarology and nematology.
We would like to extend our gratitutes to the President of the Entomological Society of Turkey, Prof.
Dr. Enver Durmuşoğlu and to the members of the Board of Directors for their support by assuming the
printing of this study and posting its e-book form in their website which will make it possible to reach the
target audience. We would like to thank to all our colleagues, dear families and colleagues of our deceased
colleagues who have made this book possible by sending in information. We also would like to extend our
cordial thanks to Mr. Olcay Sütüven and his valued colleagues for their dedicated and meticulous work in
materializing the printing of this book.
March 2013, Bornova
Serdar TEZCAN-Füsun TEZCAN-Nilay GÜLPERÇİN

Abrupt collapse of the tropical rainforest biome (Coal Forests) drove rapid diversification of Carboniferous tetrapods (amphibians and reptiles) in Euramerica. This finding is based on analysis of global and alpha diversity databases in a precise geologic context. From Visean to Moscovian time, both diversity measures steadily increased, but following rainforest collapse in earliest Kasimovian time (ca. 305 Ma), tetrapod extinction rate peaked, alpha diversity imploded, and endemism developed for the first time. Analysis of ecological diversity shows that rainforest collapse was also accompanied by acquisition of new feeding strategies (predators, herbivores), consistent with tetrapod adaptation to the effects of habitat fragmentation and resource restriction. Effects on amphibians were particularly devastating, while amniotes ('reptiles') fared better, being ecologically adapted to the drier conditions that followed. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that Coal Forest fragmentation influenced profoundly the ecology and evolution of terrestrial fauna in tropical Euramerica, and illustrate the tight coupling that existed between vegetation, climate, and trophic webs.

Systematic biology is a discipline rooted in collections. These collections play important roles in research and conservation and are integral to our efforts to educate society about biodiversity and conservation. Collections provide an invaluable record of the distribution of organisms throughout the world and through recent and geological time, and they are the only direct documentation of the biological, physical, and cultural diversity of the planet: past, present, and future. Recent developments in bioinformatics and cyberinfrastructure are transforming
systematics by opening up new opportunities and as a result major digitization efforts have increasingly made
available large amounts of biodiversity data. The collections-based systematics community needs to train the next generation of systematists with integrative skills, address grand questions about biodiversity at different scales, develop a community-wide cyberinfrastructure, effectively disseminate systematic data to biologists and the public, and proactively educate the public and policy makers on the importance of systematics and collections in the biodiversity crisis of the Anthropocene. Specifically, we call for a new global Biodiversity CyberBank, comparable to GenBank for genetic data, to be the repository of all biodiversity data, as well as a World Organization of Systematic Biology to lead major initiatives of the field. We also outline a new workflow for taxonomic monographs, which
utilizes both the traditional strengths of synthesizing diverse collections-based taxonomic data and the capacity of
online resources and bioinformatics tools.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...

To manage and conserve biodiversity, one must know what is being lost, where, and why, as well as which remedies are likely to be most effective. However, the great difficulty of quantifying biodiversity poses a serious roadblock to the development of effective policies to protect it. Metabarcoding technology can characterize the species compositions of mass samples of eukaryotes or environmental DNA. Here we validate metabarcoding as a means of biodiversity monitoring by testing it against three high-quality standard datasets collected in Malaysia (tropical), China (subtropical), and the UK (temperate), that comprised 55,813 arthropod and bird specimens identified to species level with the expenditure of 2505 person-hours of taxonomic expertise. We demonstrate that the metabarcode and standard datasets exhibit statistically correlated alpha- and beta-diversities, and we show that metabarcode and standard datasets produce similar policy conclusions for two conservation applications:  restoration ecology and systematic conservation planning. Compared with standard biodiversity datasets, which require individual identification of large numbers of specimens, metabarcoded samples are taxonomically more comprehensive, many times quicker to produce, lower-cost, less reliant on scarce taxonomic expertise, and auditable by third parties, which is essential for dispute resolution. These advantages increase the efficiency of large-scale surveillance of biodiversity trends and can alleviate many of the hidden-information problems that beset biodiversity-offset, environmental certification, and payment-for-environmental-service (PES) instruments.

There are concerns that novel structures might displace protected species, facilitate the spread of non-indigenous species, or modify native habitats. It is also predicted that ocean warming and the associated effects of climate change will significantly increase biodiversity loss within coastal regions. Resilience is to a large extent influenced by the magnitude of dispersal and level of connectivity within and between populations. Therefore it is important to investigate the distribution and ecological significance of novel and artificial habitats, the presence of protected and alien species and potential vectors of propagule dispersal. The legacy of solar salt-making in tropical and warm temperate regions is regionally extensive areas of artificial hypersaline ponds, canals and ditches. Yet the broad-scale contribution of salt-working to a network of benthic biodiversity has not been fully established. Artisanal, abandoned and historic salt-working sites were investigated along the Atlantic coast of Europe between southern England (50 N) and Andalucía, Spain (36 N). Natural lagoons are scarce along this macrotidal coast and are vulnerable to environmental change; however it is suspected that avian propagule dispersal is important in maintaining population connectivity. During bird migration periods, benthic cores were collected for infauna from 70 waterbodies across 21 salt-working sites in 5 coastal regions. Bird ringing data were used to investigate potential avian connectivity between locations. Lagoonal specialist species, some of international conservation importance, were recorded across all regions in the storage reservoirs and evaporation ponds of continental salinas, yet few non-indigenous species were observed. Potential avian propagule transport and connectivity within and between extant salt-working sites is high and these artificial habitats are likely to contribute significantly to a network of coastal lagoon biodiversity in Europe.

Customary medicinal plant species used by Australian Aborigines are disappearing rapidly with its associated
knowledge, due to the loss of habitats. Conservation and protection of these species is important as they represent sources of novel therapeutic phytochemical compounds and are culturally valuable. Information on the spatial distribution and use of customary medicinal plants is often inadequate and fragmented, posing limitations on the identification and conservation of species-rich areas and culturally valuable habitats.

In this study, the habitat suitability modeling program, MaxEnt, was used to predict the potential ecological niches of 431 customary medicinal plant species, based on bioclimatic variables. Specimen locality records were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal and
from Australia’s Virtual Herbarium (AVH). Ecological niche models of 414 predicted species, which had 30 or more occurrence points, were used to produce maps indicating areas that were ecologically suitable for multiple species (concordance of high predicted ecological suitability) and having cultural values. For the concordance map, individual species niche models were thresholded and summed. To derive a map of culturally valuable areas, customary medicinal uses from Customary Medicinal Knowledgebase (CMKb) (www.biolinfo.org/cmkb) were used
to weight individual species models, resulting in a value within each grid cell reflecting its cultural worth.

Even though the available information is scarce and fragmented, our approach provides an opportunity to infer areas predicted to be suitable for multiple species (i.e. concordance hotspots) and to estimate the cultural value of a particular geographical area.

Our results also indicate that to conserve bio-cultural diversity, comprehensive information and active participation of Aboriginal communities is indispensable.

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists are increasingly using big-data approaches to tackle questions at large spatial, taxonomic, and temporal scales. However, despite recent efforts to gather two centuries of biodiversity inventories into comprehensive databases, many crucial research questions remain unanswered. Here, we update the concept of knowledge shortfalls and review the tradeoffs between generality and uncertainty. We present seven key shortfalls of current biodiversity data. Four previously proposed shortfalls pinpoint knowledge gaps for species taxonomy (Linnean), distribution (Wallacean), abundance (Prestonian), and evolutionary patterns (Dar-winian). We also redefine the Hutchinsonian shortfall to apply to the abiotic tolerances of species and propose new shortfalls relating to limited knowledge of species traits (Raunkiaeran) and biotic interactions (Eltonian). We

Mahé, K.; Cochard, M.-L.; Quéro, J.-C.; Sevin, K.; Bailly. N.; Tetard., A., 2012.  The first record of the black grouper <i>Epinephelus marginatus</i> (Lowe, 1834) in the Eastern Channel is reported. A specimen was caught on June 10th, 2011 in the Bay of Seine. It measured 66 cm and weighed 5.5 kg. According to the study of the scales, it was a 12-years old female adults that had not completed its growth in the Channel, which confirms the fact of a casual observation and not the sign of a range of extension with an established population.

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...

This is the first paper describing the heterobranch fauna of the coasts of Iran. A total of 25 species belonging to 14 families is recorded from the Iranian coasts of the Gulf of Oman. Except for Chromodoris annulata, the remainder are all new records for the area. The families Chromodorididae and Aplysiidae have the highest diversity in the Gulf of Oman at present. A preliminary checklist of heterobranchs occurring in Iran is provided, based on current and literature records.

Tetrapod biodiversity today is great; over the past 400 Myr since vertebrates moved onto land, global tetrapod diversity has risen exponentially, punctuated by losses during major extinctions. There are links between the total global diversity of tetrapods and the diversity of their ecological roles, yet no one fully understands the interplay of these two aspects of biodiversity and a numerical analysis of this relationship has not so far been undertaken. Here we show that the global taxonomic and ecological diversity of tetrapods are closely linked. Throughout geological time, patterns of global diversity of tetrapod families show 97 per cent correlation with ecological modes. Global taxonomic and ecological diversity of this group correlates closely with the dominant classes of tetrapods (amphibians in the Palaeozoic, reptiles in the Mesozoic, birds and mammals in the Cenozoic). These groups have driven ecological diversity by expansion and contraction of occupied ecospace, rather than by direct competition within existing ecospace and each group has used ecospace at a greater rate than their predecessors.

Plant Biosystems dedicated a special issue to present and discuss new trends in biodiversity and informatics. The definition
and theoretical framework of this challenging and stimulating research field are delineated together with several examples
that illustrate data collection, organisation, dissemination, analysis and application.

Summary This document provides a proposed architecture for the new Knowledge Organization System (KOS) for biodiversity information resources to be hosted by GBIF. The proposed KOS architecture includes the following key components:“Vocabulary of Terms”(1),“Term Browser”(2),“Extensions and Code lists for the Darwin Core Archives”(3), domain Ontologies (4), and a “Resources Repository”(5). This document presents the overall architecture and how these conceptual building blocks are linked together.

Darwin Core (DwC) defines a standard set of terms to describe the primary biodiversity data. Primary biodiversity data are data records derived from direct observation of species occurrences in nature or describing specimens in biological collections. The Darwin Core terms can be seen as an extension to the standard Dublin Core metadata terms. The new Darwin Core extension for genebanks declares the additional terms required for describing genebank datasets, and is based on established standards from the plant genetic resources community. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) provides an information infrastructure for biodiversity data including a suite of software tools for data publishing, distributed data access, and the capture of biodiversity data. The Darwin Core extension for genebanks is a key component that provides access for the genebanks and the plant genetic resources community to the GBIF informatics infrastructure including the new toolkits for data exchange. This paper provides one of the first examples and guidelines for how to create extensions to the Darwin Core standard.

6th International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEEN 2022) aims to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on recent systems and techniques in the broad field of Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Communication Engineering. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews are invited for publication in all areas of Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering.

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...

6th International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEEN 2022) aims to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on recent systems and techniques in the broad field of Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Communication Engineering. Original research papers, state-of-theart reviews are invited for publication in all areas of Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering. Authors are solicited to contribute to the conference by submitting articles that illustrate research results, projects, surveying works and industrial experiences that describe significant advances in the following areas, but are not limited to.

"Centuries of biological knowledge are contained in the massive body of scientific literature, written for human-readability but too big for any one person to consume. Large scale mining of information from the literature is necessary if biology is to transform into a data-driven science.
A computer can handle the volume, but cannot make sense of the language. This paper reviews and discusses the use of natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to extract information from systematic literature. NLP algorithms have been used for decades, but require special development for application in the biological realm due to the special nature of the language. Many tools exist for biological information extraction (cellular processes, taxonomic names and morphological characters), but none have been applied life-wide and most still require testing and development. Progress has been made in developing algorithms for automated annotation of taxonomic text, identification of taxonomic names in text and extraction of morphological character information from taxonomic descriptions. This manuscript will briefly discuss the key steps in applying information extraction tools to enhance biodiversity science."

The International Journal of Information Technology, Modeling and Computing (IJITMC) is an open access peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of Information Technology, Modeling and Computing. With the advances of Information Technology, there is an active multi-disciplinary research in the areas of IT, CSE, Modeling and Simulation with numerous applications in various fields. The International Journal of Information Technology, Modeling and Computing (IJITMC) is an abstracted and indexed international journal of high quality devoted to the publication of original research papers from IT, Modeling, CSE and Control Engineering with some emphasis on all areas and subareas of computer science, IT, scientific modeling, simulation, visualization and control systems and their broad range of applications.

Summary: We present a REST web service to assess the geospatial quality of primary biodiversity data. It enables access to basic and advanced functions to detect completeness and consistency issues as well as general errors in the provided record or set of records. The API uses JSON for data interchange and efficient parallelization techniques for fast assessments of large datasets.

Availability and implementation: The Geospatial Data Quality API is part of the VertNet set of APIs. It can be accessed at http://api-geospatial.vertnet-portal.appspot.com/geospatial and is already implemented in the VertNet data portal for quality reporting. Source code is freely available under GPL license from http://www.github.com/vertnet/api-geospatial.