Short Data Dictionary for Specimen Records

Taxonomy: Classification of current species at higher taxonomic levels as recorded in the database. Taxonomic Working Groups (TWIG) are assigned authority for groups of organisms as described on the DLIA website. The full database includes more optional levels of specialized interest to taxonomists.

Common Name: Because of the scientific emphasis of the database, common names are not a priority. Less than half of the species listed have common names, and some common names lump several species together.

Description: This field always records a specimen count. Depending on the organism also sex and life stage are given, as much as such could be identified during determination. The description given is a combination of three database fields in the main database.

Notes: Comments regarding the specimens (as recorded in data field "Specimen Notes"), followed by comments for the collection event (data field "Collection Notes") if applicable.

Project: Title of project under which specimens were collected or observed.

Collector: Abbreviated collector names in a format commonly used on collection labels in depositories.

Collection Date: In case of structured sampling, traps are used. Both dates, when the trap was set and when it was retrieved are given in that case. Also, the resulting time period is plotted in coressponding phenology charts.

Forest Type: Vegetation classification according to MacKenzie, 1991. Data from more recent vegetation surveys and other baseline inventories are either under development or in the process of being prepared for use with this database. The historic MacKenzie survey can still serve for demonstration purposes.

Watershed: As for most aquatics research in the park, natural watersheds are overlaid with the park boundary; see map below. For some specimens that may be the only locational information recorded. The full protocol strongly encourages recording location information in several related fields, so they may be used for validation. In contrast, the forest type information described above is solely derived from respective GIS layer, based on point cooordinates.

Optional Variant Fields: In case such fields are used for collection event or specimens, their description and scope is included on the specimen record page in italics. Supporting such variant fields and accomodating specimen descriptions other than life stages and sex allows meaningful recording of the wide variety of organisms surveyed by the ATBI. While it is impossible to anticipate all relevant parameters at database design time, the outlined approach has provided sufficient flexibility so far.