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Story: GBIF Science Symposium 2003
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Click on the image to enlarge
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The first annual Science Symposium was well-received by an audience of over 120. Shown here are keynote speaker, Dr. Cristián Samper (left) and Dr. John Curran, Chair of the GBIF Science Committee. The larger picture (click on this small one) shows (left to right), Dr. Craig Moritz, Dr. Jorge Soberón, Dr. Carsten Rahbek, Dr. Takeshi Sagara, and Dr. Cristián Samper.
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| Released on: |
20 May 2003 |
| Contributor: |
Meredith Lane |
| Language: |
English |
Spatial coverage: |
Not applicable |
Keywords: |
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| Source of information: |
GBIF Secretariat |
| Concerned URL: |
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SymposiumAbstracts
"Founding the Future:
On the sands of speculation or the rock of real data?"
Niche, interactions and history: Calculating a species distribution range
Jorge Soberón and A. Townsend Peterson
The geographical distribution of a species is a fundamental expression of
its evolutionary history. The overlay of all the distributions is the basis
for biodiversity analysis: complementarities, hot spots identification, alpha,
beta and gamma analysis at different scales, etc. The distribution of a species
is complex and dynamic. The primary data required to estimate a distribution
is the "presence" data obtained from observations. In this presentation, I
show how recent advances in information technology allow us to calculate good,
predictive distributions on the basis of 1) millions of records of primary
data obtained via distributed search engines and the Internet; 2) large,
medium resolution files of geospatial information; and 3) state-of-the-art
artificial-intelligence tools to integrate those two sources of empirical
data. This presentation includes detailed examples of how this is done and
then two applications, one to the invasive Cactoblastis cactorum (a pest of
Opuntia) in Mexico, and another to the vector (of Chagas disease) Triatoma
dimidiata in Guatemala.
Cleaning and adding value to inaccurate geographical descriptions on specimen
labels
Takeshi Sagara
Developing specimen databases is important for understanding and conserving
biodiversity. Information engineers worry about efficient database design,
the data model, interoperability between databases, etc. Though these issues
are important, there is a basic problem in the digitization of specimen data
that previously has not been overcome. This is that the verbal description
of the locality on specimen labels is often vague, inaccurate, or unclear.
Therefore, a technique of cleaning and adding value to specimen records by
giving longitude and latitude to inaccurate place expression in specimen labels
was developed in our research group. By using this technique, a researcher
can create distribution maps from specimen data, and errors included in labels
can also be discovered. The technique is explained in this presentation. It
is important that the information technology person engaged in developing
biodiversity databases consider the importance of development of such technologies
and systems, which can add value to data.
Use of large quantitative distribution databases in biogeography and conservation
research
Carsten Rahbek
Most conservation planning for biodiversity is not science- and data driven,
but based on dogmatic, often pragmatic subjective reasoning. If we are to
manage biodiversity globally and nationally there is broad consensus among
prominent scientists that we must embark on the challenging enterprise of
describing patterns, revealing mechanisms, and mapping these processes to
achieve effective identification and management of areas of importance to
biodiversity. However, identification and description of an orderedness in
distribution- and richness patterns, and determination of the underlying processes,
have challenged biogeographers and ecologists for more than a century. More
than 120 different hypotheses have been suggested to explain richness patterns
alone. The primary obstacle to discovering unifying principles has been the
lack of large quantities of high-quality data. However, in the last decade,
researchers at the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen have
compiled three of the world’s largest distributional databases (African vertebrate
animals, South American birds, Danish animals). New and significant, empirically
supported insights can be gained by combining such large datasets with rigorous
statistical analyses. In addition, such studies can contribute conceptual
advantages to biogeography, macroecology and conservation. The impact
of studies of this type will be illustrated through an overview of a suite
of recently published studies that utilized these databases.
Biodiversity informatics and conservation of pattern and process
New insights into biological diversity are coming from integration of museum-based
information on distributions and taxonomy, GIS-based environmental data and
comparative phylogeography. This fusion of geographic, taxonomic, environmental
and genomic information, within the context of evolutionary and ecological
theory, is crucial to devising conservation strategies that protect current
diversity as well as the processes that will sustain it into the future. This
vision for the future of biodiversity studies presents interesting challenges
for natural history museums such as the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the
University of California, Berkeley. To illustrate this approach, I will discuss
recent studies of species and genetic diversity of the diverse and highly
endemic fauna of east Australian tropical and subtropical rainforests.
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Please note that this story expired on 2003/06/19
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