5 research outputs found
AnimalTraits: A curated animal trait database for body mass, metabolic rate and brain size
Trait databases have become important resources for large-scale comparative studies in ecology and
evolution. Here we introduce the AnimalTraits database, a curated database of body mass, metabolic
rate and brain size, in standardised units, for terrestrial animals. The database has broad taxonomic
breadth, including tetrapods, arthropods, molluscs and annelids from almost 2000 species and 1000
genera. All data recorded in the database are sourced from their original empirical publication, and
the original metrics and measurements are included with each record. This allows for subsequent data
transformations as required. We have included rich metadata to allow users to flter the dataset. The
additional R scripts we provide will assist researchers with aggregating standardised observations
into species-level trait values. Our goals are to provide this resource without restrictions, to keep the
AnimalTraits database current, and to grow the number of relevant traits in the future