A team of 115 researchers from 30 countries has published anatomical measurements of all 11,009 living bird species—not just passerines such as robins, but everything from ducks and penguins to vultures and ostriches.
Other teams can apply the data to new questions. “This is really democratizing the data housed in museums,” says Sahas Barve, a postdoc at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. “Not only is it available for students everywhere, but it’s available to scientists in the countries from where these specimens were originally taken.”
Future studies can combine body shape measurements with genetic data, geographical distributions, and environmental conditions to test theories about birds’ evolution and their role in ecosystems, says AVONET co-author Carsten Rahbek of the University of Copenhagen. For example, AVONET measurements can help estimate the maximum size fruit a species can eat and roughly how far it might travel before defecating the seeds—clues to which plants it might spread, and how efficiently.
Researchers could then use the data set to predict the ecological consequences of global changes, such as deforestation and warming. “This is the door to the future,” Rahbek says. For example, using data on species with beaks specialized for unusual flowers, researchers could predict which plant species are at higher risk of extinction if their avian pollinators vanish. In some tropical countries, large fruit-eating birds are hunted intensely, and their loss could reduce seed dispersal.
Tobias and others plan to continue improving the data set by filling in missing data for roughly 100 species. They will also measure more individuals and add other kinds of information about life history and behaviors. For now, the data set exists as a spreadsheet in ato a paper.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Colorado Weather: Warm First Day Of Spring Precedes First Alert Weather Day On MondayWe will see clouds increase throughout the day with breezy conditions this afternoon with gusts around 25 mph.
Read more »
How gold prices connect to inflation, interest rates, bitcoin and the modern economyICYMI: On this week’s episode of DowntoBusiness podcast, we discuss how gold prices connect to inflation, interest rates, bitcoin and the modern economy — via financialpost gold inflation bitcoin
Read more »
Ajee’ Wilson Finally Gets Her Gold Medal at the 2022 World Indoor ChampionshipsAfter a handful of silver and bronze medals, the American 800-meter specialist finally finishes atop the podium.
Read more »
Pakistan, Barrick to restart Reko Diq gold, copper project as dispute endsPakistan reaches an out-of-court deal with foreign firm that has agreed to waive $11 billion in penalties and revive one of the world's biggest gold and copper mining projects stalled since 2011
Read more »
Old but gold: Can digital assets become part of Americans’ retirement plans?Unsurprisingly, the role of crypto in retirement investment will depend on the asset class’ mainstream adoption.
Read more »
Syria’s Assad visits UAE in first trip to an Arab country since civil warDubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, hosted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday, marking the first visit by Assad to an Arab country since 2011
Read more »