TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls - 1964

Dat daar in minder as tien jaar byna tien oplaes van die Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls die lig gesien het, is wel ’n bewys dat daar in dié tydperk ’n groot vraag na hierdie publikasie was en dat dit in ’n belangrike behoefte voorsien het. Dit getuig ook van toenemende belangstelling in en bestudering van ons taal en lê andersyds ’n verphgting op die Taalkommissie om na vermoë die nodige leiding op die gebied van die spelling en skryfwyse te probeer gee. „Hierdie druk van die Akademie se Woordelys en Spelreëls verskil aansienlik van die vorige uitgawes, hoewel die spellingbeleid en grondbeginsels feitlik ongewysig gebly het”. So het dit tien jaar gelede in die Voorwoord by die vorige (sesde) uitgawe gelui. Dit geld ook van hierdie druk, want die beskaafde Afrikaanse uitspraak, die beginsel van gelykvormigheid en aansluiting by die Nederlandse skryf- en spellingtradisie bly nog steeds as grondbeginsels gehandhaaf, en aan die strekking van die spelreëls self is niks wesenliks verander nie. Maar die taal het self, soos elke jong, lewendige taal, ontwikkel en verander en daardeur nuwe eise aan sy beoefenaars gestel. Daarmee moes die Taalkommissie uiteraard rekening hou — vandaar enkele nuwighede in die stof en die behandelingswyse daarvan in hierdie uitgawe. Daarvan word kortliks hieronder rekenskap gegee