Visualizing Biodiversity

The emerging field of biodiversity informatics is an interesting one. It is truly a reflection of the emergence of the world wide web, and of the power of web-based applications for gathering, synthesizing and analyzing data to gain new insights.

Until the emergence of web-based analyses, and the ability to digitize information, the key knowledge bases that lie behind biodiversity remained cloistered behind museum walls, represented by centuries of botanical or zoological specimens.  Importantly, understanding the underpinnings of biodiversity has been, until now, the realm of taxonomists.   Now, as museums and spatial analysts around the world move to computerize collections data and map the results (in often disparate ways), thus allowing visualization of "biodiversity", there is growing recognition that the full scope of biodiversity and biodiversity analyses is yet to fully emerge.  There are many challenges along the way as researchers now struggle to develop accurate databases, to reconcile databases, to map the results and, finally, to use this new powerful level of knowledge to determine what we know, and what we don't know.  While databasing collections show what we know, one of the major outcomes of public web-based presentations is a profound awareness of just how much is unknown.  This is particularly true if we compare the variance between flora and fauna databases, where it quickly becomes apparent that our knowledge of vascular plants, for example, far outstrips our knowledge of the insect fauna.  While we can name our vascular plants to species, subspecies or varieties, for many insect groups we can only identify families or genera.  The vast numbers of species that comprise our insect fauna remain as yet undescribed or named--there are often no taxonomic keys available for identification.

While biodiversity databases allow a public window into museum collections, and can be readily utilized to learn about the species that comprise regional biodiversity, they do much more than that.  In the case of the biodiversity atlases of BC, the power of these databases is now being recognized and new important steps in analyzing BC biodiversity have been taken.

The Biogeographic Atlases of BC--E-Flora BC and  E-Fauna BC

The biogeographic atlases of BC provide comprehensive information on each species found in British Columbia. This information is presented in an atlas page format that includes key taxonomic, habitat, conservation, and distribution information for each species. Distribution information is based on collections information obtained from key herbaria and museums in BC and Canada, and is presented using interactive GIS-based on-line mapping. 

The collections-based information used in the mapping allows us to map species occurrences that is as accurate as the scope and detail, and accuracy, of the collections databases allow.  Mapping the collections and using ecological and geographic layers allows for ready visualization of the nuances of biogeography--species range and the factors that drive this, such as latitude, elevation, rainfall, climatic variation, and more.  Once these geographic components are overlain on species distributions, patterns emerge.  Species follow clear patterns of distribution, some, for example, following streams and rivers, others clustered in the pocket desert of Osoyoos, some restricted to landform types. Mapping species collections allows biogeographic exploration of species occurrences, but, importantly, also allows easily identification of knowledge gaps.  Holes in species distributions quickly become apparent, as do errors in identification and location information.  For example, database entry errors can place a species in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thus highlighting the need for data editing. 

While mapping species distributions, and placing the results on the web allows the public to access detailed information quickly (thus enhancing critical conservation knowledge), it also provides insight for biogeographers who assess species ranges, identify gaps in ranges, determine species rarity, and more.  Using computer modeling, and incorporating what is known about a species range or distribution, biogeographers can now develop predictive mapping showing where species may move to as a result of climate changes. They can also model the movement of invasive species over time, and, using animated maps, they can do this in a very visual way that helps underscore the scope of the invasives problem. 

Developing Ecological Frameworks for BC Species

One interesting component that has emerged in developing E-Flora BC comes from the inclusion of the BC Ministry of Forests and Range BEC databases (Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification databases) for vascular plants. The inclusion of this database has allowed us to incorporate the first research-based analyses of plant species in BC using E-Flora.  The BEC database--the database behind the BEC zone mapping in the province--provides detailed ecological plot information collected in ecosystems throughout BC that fall within the scope of the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.  The data, collected during twenty years of ecological plot surveys, have allowed an accumulation of ecological detail on many species of BC vascular plants, including information on slope, aspect, elevation, and soil moisture types--these are the ecological parameters of species occurrences.  Using spatial statistical analyses on the raw plot data, we have developed detailed class summaries of the average, minimum and maximum for each ecological feature covered in the original plot survey information, producing detailed ecological insights, or an Ecological Framework, many BC species.  This Framework complements the ecological indicator information that is provided in the atlas for coastally-occurring species based on the work by Klinka et al. (Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia).

Ecological Framework for Big-leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) in British Columbia

*Original plot data provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range

Click here to view a sample atlas page for big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum)

Linking Plant and Animals:  Visualizing Species Interdependencies

The Ecological Framework and the animated mapping developed on E-Flora BC are the first steps in using the e-atlases for biogeographic research.   However, additional research and development initiatives are also underway. Presently the interactive mapping for each atlas is separate, showing plant or animal distributions. However, allowing interactivity between the mapping for each atlas will provide additional critical information on the dependence of one species on another.  We hope to be able to link, for example, butterfly distributions with host plant distributions, to assess elk distributions and correlations with the lichen species they depend upon, and to visually show encroachment of invasive species into our ecosystems, where key food chain balances are shifting and ecosystems are threatened with collapse.

Electronic Atlases and Biodiversity Informatics:  New Insights in Biodiversity Analyses

In a very real way, in addition to providing a key public service via freely available, comprehensive atlases, the biogeographic atlases of BC open a new research window allowing detailed biogeographic assessments and additional insight into the biodiversity of British Columbia.  We use GIS technology and bioinformatics to conduct conservation biology research, and we incorporate visualization, quantitative analyses, and database manipulation to explore, assess, identify and present information on biodiversity.   Through the atlases, we provide visual representation of what is known about our BC species, and highlight gaps in our knowledge base that will influence conservation biology initiatives.