Environmental News Network - Supersized Fruit Eater Database on Climate Change Frontline

Details: By Michigan State University; 21.Jun

To conserve precious and fragile biodiversity hotspots, a crucial step is knowing how the fruit eaters are doing.

To conserve precious and fragile biodiversity hotspots, a crucial step is knowing how the fruit eaters are doing. To assist in that, scientists and students at Michigan State University (MSU have supersized a database to keep track of such animals and birds.

In this month's open-access journal, the group introduces for the first time a hulking list of more than 45,000 traits for creatures that eat fruit. Frugivoria, named for the species called frugivores who survive mainly on fruit, supersizes existing databases by providing researchers and conservationists with one-stop listings of both critters and birds in the forests of Central and South America. Frugivoria’s data and workflow are open and accessible to all to help facilitate its use for addressing the biodiversity crisis.

In a time of rapid climate change, it’s crucial to understand how the fruit eaters are doing in specific ways.

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Supersized Fruit Eater Database on Climate Change Frontline