Corresponding author: Gary D Powney (
Academic editor: Sarah Faulwetter
Trait data are fundamental for many aspects of ecological research, particularly for modeling species response to environmental change. We synthesised information from the literature (mainly field guides) and direct measurements from museum specimens, providing a comprehensive dataset of 26 attributes, covering the 43 resident species of
Trait data are vital components of many ecological, evolutionary and conservation research projects. A useful definition for a trait was provided by
There are 43 resident species of
The trait data we present are applicable to a wide range of research projects, studies aimed at understanding and predicting the dynamics of
We provide a comprehensive trait database covering 26 attributes of the 43 resident species of
The single value per species dataset contained 15 attributes, these include:
We measured several morphological trait variables from dry mounted specimens of
We provide two R scripts alongside the trait data in the online repository (
Repeat measures of each trait were taken from one specimen per species,
The single value per trait per species dataset was derived from a literature search (
Data were collated for the 43 resident species of
-90 and 59.00 Latitude; -11.00 and 2.00 Longitude.
We provide trait data for the 43 resident species of
Rank | Scientific Name | Common Name |
---|---|---|
species |
|
Southern Migrant Hawker |
species |
|
Azure Hawker |
species |
|
Southern Hawker |
species |
|
Brown Hawker |
species |
|
Norfolk Hawker |
species |
|
Common Hawker |
species |
|
Migrant Hawker |
species |
|
Emperor Dragonfly |
species |
|
Hairy Dragonfly |
species |
|
Banded Demoiselle |
species |
|
Beautiful Demoiselle |
species |
|
Small Red Damselfly |
species |
|
Northern Damselfly |
species |
|
Irish Damselfly |
species |
|
Southern Damselfly |
species |
|
Azure Damsefly |
species |
|
Variable Damselfly |
species |
|
Norfolk Damselfly |
species |
|
Golden-ringed Dragonfly |
species |
|
Downy Emerald |
species |
|
Common Blue Damselfly |
species |
|
Red-eyed Damselfly |
species |
|
Small Red-eyed Damselfly |
species |
|
Club-tailed dragonfly |
species |
|
Blue-tailed Damselfly |
species |
|
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly |
species |
|
Southern Emerald Damselfly |
species |
|
Scarce Emerald Damselfly |
species |
|
Emerald Damselfly |
species |
|
Willow Emerald Damselfly |
species |
|
White-faced Darter |
species |
|
Broad-bodied Chaser |
species |
|
Scarce Chaser |
species |
|
Four-spotted Chaser |
species |
|
Black-tailed Skimmer |
species |
|
Keeled Skimmer |
species |
|
White-legged Damselfly |
species |
|
Large Red Damselfly |
species |
|
Northern Emerald |
species |
|
Brillinat Emerald |
species |
|
Black Darter |
species |
|
Ruddy Darter |
species |
|
Common Darter |
We synthesised information from the literature (mainly field guides) and direct measurements from museum specimens, providing a comprehensive dataset of 26 attributes, covering the 43 resident species of
Creative Commons CCZero
4
Species trait measurements
.csv
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Specimen_Number | Unique identifier for the specimen (based on the specimen number in Natural History Museum, London) |
Preservation | Preservation method of the specimen |
Order | The species taxonomic order |
Family | The species taxonomic family |
Genus | The species taxonomic genus |
Species | The species name |
Sex | The sex of the specimen |
thorax_length | The length of the thorax in mm |
thorax_width | The width of the thorax (widest point) in mm |
thorax_depth | The depth of the thorax in mm |
left_forewing_length | The length of the left forewing in mm |
left_forewing_width | The width of the left forewing (at the widest point) in mm |
left_hindwing_length | The length of the left hindwing in mm |
left_hindwing_width | The width of the left hindwing (at the widest point) in mm |
right_forewing_length | The length of the right forewing in mm |
right_forewing_width | The width of the right forewing (at the widest point) in mm |
right_hindwing_length | The length of the right hindwing in mm |
right_hindwing_width | The width of the right hindwing (at the widest point) in mm |
.csv
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Species | Species name |
Suborder | The suborder of the species |
Family | The family of the species |
Body_size_min | The minimum length of the abdomen (mm) |
Body_size_max | The maximum length of the abdomen (mm) |
Body_size_median | The median length of the abdomen (mm) |
Partivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Semivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Univoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Bivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Multivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Overwintering_stage | Categorical variable with 3 levels: Larvae (L), Eggs (E), Eggs & Larvae (EL) |
Flight_period_start | The start (month) of the flight period. |
Flight_period_end | The end (month) of the flight period. |
Flight_period_duration | The duration of the flight period in months. |
Migratory | Binary variable, do adults routinely migrate to/from the UK. |
Distribution_status | Categorical variable that groups species based on distribution size: very widespread, widespread, local, scarce, rare, very rare. |
JNCC_Red_List_status | Species classified using the national Red List criteria. |
Synchronicity | A variable describing a species emergence strategy: 1) Spring emergence = highly synchronised, 2) Summer emergence = temporally dispersed emergence, 3) Type 3 Summer = Obligatorily univoltine species. |
Climatic_restrictions | Broad climatic categorisation of species based on their distribution pattern: 1) Widespread, 2) Southern, 3) Northern, 4) Continental, 5) Oceanic. |
Lowland_rivers_and_canals | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Streams_and_upland_rivers | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Bogs_moorland_and_lowland_wet_heath | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Levels_fens_and_grazing_marshes | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Ponds_and_lakes | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Woodland | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
No_habitat_types | A count of the number of habitat types utilised by the species |
Oviposition | The oviposition strategy of the species, binary variable where species are classified as either Endophytic or Exophytic |
breeding_habitat | Species are classified into groups based on their preferred breeding habitat, either lentic or lotic. Species that are able to utilise both types are listed as lentic/lotic. |
Body_length_min | The minimum value for total body length (mm) |
Body_length_max | The maximum value for total body length (mm) |
Larval_body_length_min | The minimum value for total length of the larvae (mm) |
Larval_body_length_max | The maximum value for total length of the larvae (mm) |
Trait data and sources
.xls
This .xls file contains three sheets. The first lists the same traits that are listed in the "
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Sheet 1: Data | Contains the traits that are listed in the " |
Sheet 2: Sources | Contains a list of sources with their unique identifiers |
Sheet 3: Trait key | Contains a key to the traits that are included in sheet 1 |
Repeated trait measurements
.csv
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
Specimen_Number | Unique identifier for the specimen (based on the specimen number in Natural History Museum, London) |
thorax_length | The length of the thorax in mm |
thorax_width | The width of the thorax (widest point) in mm |
thorax_depth | The depth of the thorax in mm |
left_forewing_length | The length of the left forewing in mm |
left_forewing_width | The width of the left forewing in mm |
left_hindwing_length | The length of the left hindwing in mm |
left_hindwing_width | The width of the left hindwing in mm |
right_forewing_length | The length of the right forewing in mm |
right_forewing_width | The width of the right forewing in mm |
right_hindwing_length | The length of the right hindwing in mm |
right_hindwing_width | The width of the right hindwing in mm |
We would like to thank all the field biologists who have made these datasets possible. We are grateful to Christopher Hassall, Sarah Faulwetter, Lyubomir Penev and one anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. This work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
A graphical summary of the morphological trait data across all species. Each trait is represented by a seperate box and whisker plot, which in turn is seperated by sex.
A graphical summary of the morphological trait data collected for