The Future_Global_AI_PET Database offers high-resolution global estimates (30 arc-seconds) of potential evapotranspiration (PET) and aridity index (AI), derived from 22 CMIP6 Earth System Models. It covers two historical periods (1960–1990; 1970–2000) and two future periods (2021–2041; 2041–2060), analyzing climate trends across four shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs). The dataset includes three multimodel ensemble averages (All, Majority Consensus, High Risk) to account for different levels of climate model uncertainty. A methodological overview, geospatial implementation details, and technical evaluation accompany the database. Historical data validation compared results with weather station data (PET: r² = 0.72; AI: r² = 0.91) and the CRU_TS v4.04 dataset (PET: r² = 0.67; AI: r² = 0.80). Given the anticipated climate shifts, this database serves as a valuable resource for scientific and practical applications, offering insights into predicted eco-hydrological and terrestrial ecosystem impacts.
Tag: database
Gendered knowledge on food trees for addressing food security and nutrition in Uganda and Kenya
Food trees provide fruits, nuts, leaves and seeds that contribute substantially to food and nutrition security of African rural households. Farmers have a wealth of local knowledge on food tree species for cultivation and use for various household needs. This knowledge is influenced by gender and age-related factors often neglected in research and development endeavors. This study sought to understand gendered and age-related knowledge on food trees use in Uganda and Kenya. The purpose was to identify context-specific food tree portfolios that can sustainably address food and nutrition gaps while responding to the needs and strategic interests of different gender and age groups. Data collection was conducted through genderand age-segregated focus group discussions in two sites in Uganda, Nakaseke and Nakasongola, and two sites in Kenya, Kitui and Mwingi west. Participatory research using seasonality calendars and score – ranking was conducted with sixteen focus groups and comprised of a total of 160 participants to understand knowledge and preferences for food trees. A total of 61 food tree species were listed with differences among countries. In Uganda, the total species number was 47 (including 58% exotic species), and in Kenya 55 (65% exotics). In Uganda, knowledge on food tree species differed between genders, with older women listing the greatest number of priority species (22), followed by younger women (19) and older and young men (15). In Kenya, older women and men identified 38 and 36 species respectively, whereas younger women identified 26 species and younger men 23 species. In all four sites, both men and women preferred exotic food tree species such as Mangifera indica, Passiflora edulis and Persea americana. Both men and women especially valued food trees that contribute to improved health, nutrition and income, those whose products have a good taste, and with medicinal properties. For old and young women, the main reasons for selecting food trees species was their availability and role as children’s food. Findings show diverse food tree species that fill food and nutrition gaps and the value of gender-sensitive participatory research for understanding local knowledge, needs and constraints, to inform project implementation decisions.
GlobalUsefulNativeTrees, a database documenting 14,014 tree species, supports synergies between biodiversity recovery and local livelihoods in landscape restoration
Tree planting has the potential to improve the livelihoods of millions of people as well as to support environmental services such as biodiversity conservation. Planting however needs to be executed wisely if benefits are to be achieved. We have developed the GlobalUsefulNativeTrees (GlobUNT) database to directly support the principles advocated by the ‘golden rules for reforestation’, including planting tree mixtures that maximize the benefits to local livelihoods and the diversity of native trees. Developed primarily by combining data from GlobalTreeSearch with the World Checklist of Useful Plant Species (WCUPS), GlobUNT includes 14,014 tree species that can be filtered for ten major use categories, across 242 countries and territories. The 14,014 species represent roughly a quarter of the tree species from GlobalTreeSearch and a third of the plant species from WCUPS. GlobUNT includes over 8000 species used as materials (9261 species; 68.4% of the total in WCUPS for that use category) or medicines (8283; 31.1%), over 2000 species with environmental uses (3317; 36.9%), used as human food (3310; 47.0%) or fuel (2162; 85.5%), over 1000 species used as gene sources (1552; 29.8%), animal food (1494; 33.7%), social uses (1396; 53.8%) or poisons (1109; 36.8%), and 712 species (68.4%) as insect food.
TreeGOER: A database with globally observed environmental ranges for 48,129 tree species
The TreeGOER (Tree Globally Observed Environmental Ranges) database provides information for most known tree species of their environmental ranges for 38 bioclimatic, eight soil and three topographic variables. It is based on species distribution modelling analyses of more than 44 million occurrences. The database can be accessed from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7922927. Statistics that include 5% and 95% quantiles were estimated for a cleaned and taxonomically standardized occurrence data set with different methods of outlier detection, with estimates for roughly 45% of species being based on 20 or more observation records. Where sufficient representative observations are available, the ranges provide useful preliminary estimates of suitable conditions particularly for lesser-known species under climate change. Inferred core bioclimatic ranges of species along global temperature and moisture index gradients and across continents follow the known global distribution of tree diversity such as its highest levels in moist tropical forests and the ‘odd man out’ pattern of lower levels in Africa. To demonstrate how global analyses for large numbers of tree species can easily be done in R with TreeGOER, here I present two case studies. The first case study investigated latitudinal trends of tree vulnerability and compared these with previous results obtained for urban trees. The second case study focused on tropical areas, compared trends in different longitudinal zones and investigated patterns for the moisture index. TreeGOER is expected to benefit researchers conducting biogeographical and climate change research for a wide range of tree species at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.
A dynamic online documentation of Italian ascomycetes with hosts and substrates: www.italianmicrofungi.org
Early taxonomic studies of ascomycetous microfungi were conducted based on morphological observations. With the advent and advancement of DNA based molecular studies over the last few decades, species, genera, families and orders of Ascomycota have been subjected to rapid taxonomic changes. In the last eight years, we have introduced many novel fungal taxa with numerous new host and country records of ascomycetous microfungi from Italy. Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes are the major classes that we have investigated. These fungal species were collected from more than 300 host species in terrestrial habitats of different provinces in Italy. The hosts include shrubs, trees and grasses with the substrates differentiated as branches, stems and leaves. For these taxa, identification and classification were confirmed with comprehensive descriptions, colour illustrations and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses. These studies are scattered in different scientific journals. The online documentation at www.italianmicrofungi.org is a database for arranging all the published data together with novel updates of present and upcoming studies. Notes for species, genera and up-to-date records of Italian ascomycetes with accounts on different hosts and substrates are described here. This website provides a user-friendly and easily accessible framework to extract more information.
Use and benefits of tree germplasm from the World Agroforestry genebank for smallholder farmers in Kenya
The World Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Kenya plays a key role in conserving tree genetic diversity, thereby contributing to the delivery of ecosystem services in tree-based production systems. This study explored the benefits of using the two most popular fodder tree species among smallholder farmers, sourced from the ICRAF genebank: Calliandra calothyrsus (Calliandra) and Gliricidia sepium (Gliricidia). Through a survey of key informants and genebank users, we examined the benefits derived from the adoption of Calliandra and Gliricidia and the unique role of the ICRAF genebank as the main source of tree germplasm for Kenyan smallholders. The constraints to germplasm access could limit protein fodder supply and the intensity of fertilization in farmers’ fields, which in turn could affect productivity in livestock and maize sectors in Kenya. We find that improved food security, higher incomes, increased milk production, reduced vulnerability to drought, reduced soil erosion, and enhanced soil fertility are identified as the main farmer-perceived benefits linked to the use of Calliandra and Gliricidia. The findings demonstrate the importance of agroforestry in the delivery of ecosystem services, in the light of climate change and heightened pressure for sustainable agricultural practices, and the crucial role of the genebank in conserving and distributing unique, high quality tree germplasm.
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.