Rasgos-CL: A functional trait database of Chilean woody plants

Abstract

Motivation: Due to language and networking barriers, global initiatives to compile trait data often fail to integrate data from sources in non-English languages or scientists that largely speak and write in non-English languages. To illustrate the potential for regional databases to fill gaps in trait data, and how such databases may fill critical gaps in global biodiversity databases, we built the Rasgos-CL Database. Rasgos-CL provides a comprehensive set of plant traits for the woody flora of Chile by mobilizing and standardizing unstructured data largely from the Spanish-language literature. We quantified the gains in trait coverage compared to global trait databases and identified phylogenetic and geographic biases of trait data gaps.Main Types of Variables Contained: Rasgos-CL contains 25,174 trait records, including 2 continuous and 21 categorical traits for 662 woody species.Spatial Location and Grain: National coverage, with species that occur across all ecosystems in continental Chile.Time Period and Grain: Data were extracted from sources published between 1833 and 2023.Major Taxa and Level of Measurement: Rasgos-CL includes trait data aggregated at the species level for 662 tree and shrub species, and also provides trait records from individual data sources.Software Format: Rasgos-CL includes four csv files. A GitHub repository contains the csv files.

Motivation: Due to language and networking barriers, global initiatives to compile trait data often fail to integrate data from sources in non-English languages or scientists that largely speak and write in non-English languages. To illustrate the potential for regional databases to fill gaps in trait data, and how such databases may fill critical gaps in global biodiversity databases, we built the Rasgos-CL Database. Rasgos-CL provides a comprehensive set of plant traits for the woody flora of Chile by mobilizing and standardizing unstructured data largely from the Spanish-language literature. We quantified the gains in trait coverage compared to global trait databases and identified phylogenetic and geographic biases of trait data gaps.Main Types of Variables Contained: Rasgos-CL contains 25,174 trait records, including 2 continuous and 21 categorical traits for 662 woody species.Spatial Location and Grain: National coverage, with species that occur across all ecosystems in continental Chile.Time Period and Grain: Data were extracted from sources published between 1833 and 2023.Major Taxa and Level of Measurement: Rasgos-CL includes trait data aggregated at the species level for 662 tree and shrub species, and also provides trait records from individual data sources.Software Format: Rasgos-CL includes four csv files. A GitHub repository contains the csv files.