title: BIOFRAG - a new database for analyzing BIOdiversity responses to forest FRAGmentation.
abstract: Habitat fragmentation studies have produced complex results that are challenging to synthesize. Inconsistencies among studies may result from variation in the choice of landscape metrics and response variables, which is often compounded by a lack of key statistical or methodological information. Collating primary datasets on biodiversity responses to fragmentation in a consistent and flexible database permits simple data retrieval for subsequent analyses. We present a relational database that links such field data to taxonomic nomenclature, spatial and temporal plot attributes, and environmental characteristics. Field assessments include measurements of the response(s) (e.g., presence, abundance, ground cover) of one or more species linked to plots in fragments within a partially forested landscape. The database currently holds 9830 unique species recorded in plots of 58 unique landscapes in six of eight realms: mammals 315, birds 1286, herptiles 460, insects 4521, spiders 204, other arthropods 85, gastropods 70, annelids 8, platyhelminthes 4, Onychophora 2, vascular plants 2112, nonvascular plants and lichens 320, and fungi 449. Three landscapes were sampled as long-term time series (>10 years). Seven hundred and eleven species are found in two or more landscapes. Consolidating the substantial amount of primary data available on biodiversity responses to fragmentation in the context of land-use change and natural disturbances is an essential part of understanding the effects of increasing anthropogenic pressures on land. The consistent format of this database facilitates testing of generalizations concerning biologic responses to fragmentation across diverse systems and taxa. It also allows the re-examination of existing datasets with alternative landscape metrics and robust statistical methods, for example, helping to address pseudo-replication problems. The database can thus help researchers in producing broad syntheses of the effects of land use. The database is dynamic and inclusive, and contributions from individual and large-scale data-collection efforts are welcome.
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Marion
authors: M
authors: Pfeifer
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Veronique
authors: V
authors: Lefebvre
authors: Stockholm Environment Institute Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Toby A
authors: TA
authors: Gardner
authors: Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Morelia, Mexico.
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Arroyo-Rodriguez
authors: Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Lander
authors: L
authors: Baeten
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Banks-Leite
authors: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University Lancaster, U.K.
authors: Jos
authors: J
authors: Barlow
authors: Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon.
authors: Matthew G
authors: MG
authors: Betts
authors: Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Alnarp, Sweden.
authors: Joerg
authors: J
authors: Brunet
authors: Departmento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información, Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Alexis
authors: A
authors: Cerezo
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut ; Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut.
authors: Laura M
authors: LM
authors: Cisneros
authors: Nature Conservation Society of South Australia Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors: Stuart
authors: S
authors: Collard
authors: The World Society for the Protection of Animals London, U.K.
authors: Neil
authors: N
authors: D'Cruze
authors: Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA) Manaus, Brazil.
authors: Catarina
authors: C
authors: da Silva Motta
authors: Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Carleton University Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors: Stephanie
authors: S
authors: Duguay
authors: Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Hilde
authors: H
authors: Eggermont
authors: Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton Southampton, U.K.
authors: Felix
authors: F
authors: Eigenbrod
authors: Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon.
authors: Adam S
authors: AS
authors: Hadley
authors: 351 False Bay Drive, Friday Harbor, Washington, 98250.
authors: Thor R
authors: TR
authors: Hanson
authors: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Norwich, U.K.
authors: Joseph E
authors: JE
authors: Hawes
authors: International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forestry Service Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
authors: Tamara
authors: T
authors: Heartsill Scalley
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut ; Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut.
authors: Brian T
authors: BT
authors: Klingbeil
authors: Institute of Ecology, FB2, University of Bremen Bremen, Germany.
authors: Annette
authors: A
authors: Kolb
authors: Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Goettingen University Goettingen, Germany.
authors: Urs
authors: U
authors: Kormann
authors: Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado.
authors: Sunil
authors: S
authors: Kumar
authors: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors: Thibault
authors: T
authors: Lachat
authors: OPAL, Imperial College London London, U.K.
authors: Poppy
authors: P
authors: Lakeman Fraser
authors: INTA EEA, Bariloche - CONICET Bariloche, Argentina.
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Lantschner
authors: Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University Cairns, Qld, Australia.
authors: William F
authors: WF
authors: Laurance
authors: Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife, Brazil.
authors: Inara R
authors: IR
authors: Leal
authors: Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Luc
authors: L
authors: Lens
authors: Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds Leeds, U.K.
authors: Charles J
authors: CJ
authors: Marsh
authors: Instituto de Ciencias Naturales - ICN, National University of Colombia Bogotá, Colombia.
authors: Guido F
authors: GF
authors: Medina-Rangel
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Stephanie
authors: S
authors: Melles
authors: Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Mezger
authors: Sheffield Institute for International Development, University of Sheffield Sheffield, U.K.
authors: Johan A
authors: JA
authors: Oldekop
authors: Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG) Belém, Brazil.
authors: William L
authors: WL
authors: Overal
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Charlotte
authors: C
authors: Owen
authors: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Norwich, U.K.
authors: Carlos A
authors: CA
authors: Peres
authors: Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton Southampton, U.K.
authors: Ben
authors: B
authors: Phalan
authors: Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin.
authors: Anna M
authors: AM
authors: Pidgeon
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Oriana
authors: O
authors: Pilia
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K ; The University of Queensland Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors: Hugh P
authors: HP
authors: Possingham
authors: 10 River St Marden, Marden, 5070, Australia.
authors: Max L
authors: ML
authors: Possingham
authors: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Brussels, Belgium ; Life Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum London, U.K.
authors: Dinarzarde C
authors: DC
authors: Raheem
authors: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo Grande, Brazil.
authors: Danilo B
authors: DB
authors: Ribeiro
authors: Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife, Brazil.
authors: Jose D
authors: JD
authors: Ribeiro Neto
authors: Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Douglas Robinson
authors: Department of Parks and Wildlife, Manjimup Research Centre Manjimup, WA, Australia.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Robinson
authors: Department of Biology, Carleton University Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors: Trina
authors: T
authors: Rytwinski
authors: Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Goettingen University Goettingen, Germany.
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Scherber
authors: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford Oxford, U.K.
authors: Eleanor M
authors: EM
authors: Slade
authors: Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) Turrialba, Costa Rica.
authors: Eduardo
authors: E
authors: Somarriba
authors: School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana ; BDFFP, INPA Manaus, Brazil.
authors: Philip C
authors: PC
authors: Stouffer
authors: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent Canterbury, U.K.
authors: Matthew J
authors: MJ
authors: Struebig
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K ; School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury Canterbury, New Zealand.
authors: Jason M
authors: JM
authors: Tylianakis
authors: Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Goettingen University Goettingen, Germany.
authors: Teja
authors: T
authors: Tscharntke
authors: School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska.
authors: Andrew J
authors: AJ
authors: Tyre
authors: Ecology and Territory Department, School of Rural and Environmental Studies, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogotá, Colombia.
authors: Jose N
authors: JN
authors: Urbina Cardona
authors: Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors: Heraldo L
authors: HL
authors: Vasconcelos
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K ; Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London London, U.K.
authors: Oliver
authors: O
authors: Wearn
authors: The Environment Institute, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors: Konstans
authors: K
authors: Wells
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut ; Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut.
authors: Michael R
authors: MR
authors: Willig
authors: Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin.
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Wood
authors: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Trinity, Jersey, U.K.
authors: Richard P
authors: RP
authors: Young
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Andrew V
authors: AV
authors: Bradley
authors: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, U.K.
authors: Robert M
authors: RM
authors: Ewers
keywords: Bioinformatics; data sharing; database; edge effects; forest fragmentation; global change; landscape metrics; matrix contrast; species turnover