“Biodiversity Informatics” is a term that encompasses diverse types of data that represent biological variation within and among species. Taxonomy forms the core of Biodiversity Informatics because taxonomic names and higher classifications provide the framework for most of biological information (see http://www.tdwg.org/biodiv-projects/projects-database/).

Here are the basic elements of the taxonomic core of Biodiversity Informatics:



“Cybertaxonomy” has developed rapidly over the past decade to produce large databases of specimens (like those in museums, herbaria and zoos), taxonomic names (like Species2000 or FishBase), characteristics of specimens (e.g., gene sequences and DNA barcodes in GenBank, or morphological features and digital images in MorphoBank), and the publications, indexes, and aggregator databases in which these observations are presented (e.g., PubMed, OBIS, or GBIF).


The taxonomic core can be connected to many other categories of information, including characteristics of individuals, populations, species and higher taxonomic groups, and involves data collected at levels ranging from gene sequences up to the traits of entire ecosystems.

The relationship of the taxonomic core to the rest of Biodiversity Informatics can be viewed in the following way:



As an activity, Biodiversity Informatics engages researchers in biology, computer science, statistics, geography, earth and atmospheric sciences, as well as users in a wide range of applied areas (e.g., agriculture, food, public health, environment, conservation, forestry, fisheries). A variety of databases and other information resources can be connected to the rest of Biodiversity, providing users with a rich information resource.

My names are John Olayinka ATOYEBI from Nigeria .

In supporting David ,reflecting on his notes background on biodiversity informatics ;genebank curators and germplasm assemblage requires informatic tools and applications in their conservation efforts .Thats why i agree that more of the developing country scientists should be given the opportunities to be trained in this aspect ,especially those involving novel biotechnology tools ,such as genomics .

Dear David,

This is very good scheme for Biodiversity Informatics. My scientific topic "Chemical content of plants" fits in the block "Specimen context". But what about Ecosystems - which place could you suggest for them?

Best wishes,
Natalia