Data discovered and accessed through GBIF web platforms are being used in a widening variety of scientific applications, many of which have direct relevance to the key policy issues related to biodiversity.

Since 2008, nearly 800 peer-reviewed papers in academic journals have cited use of GBIF-mediated data. 230 of those papers were published in 2012.

A summary of recent scientific research citing GBIF as a data source, grouped by relevance to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets agreed by governments in 2010, is available in the GBits Science Supplement, published bimonthly since March 2012.

A searchable database of scientific articles in which GBIF has been used, mentioned or discussed in research can be browsed via the GBIF Public Library using the Mendeley online reference manager. The papers added most recently to the archive are shown below.

GBIF Public Library is a group in Biological Sciences, Computer and Information Science, Environmental Sciences on Mendeley.

Among the most common applications enabled by the data is ecological niche modelling, in which records about where and when a species was present can be overlaid with information about climate and other factors to predict past, present and future distributions. This in turn can help to model, for example, the spread of invasive alien species, impacts of future climate change and the spread of disease-carrying organisms.

Some examples of data use in various key categories, for illustration only, are shown here. 

Soberón, J. and Peterson, A. (2009), AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 38(1):29-34. 2009, Monitoring Biodiversity Loss with Primary Species-occurrence Data: Toward National-level Indicators for the 2010 Target of the Convention on Biological Diversity. http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1579/0044-7447-38.1.29

The paper proposes a methodology for assessing range loss for species affected by land-use conversion, using raw occurrence data combined with remote sensing and cutting-edge modelling. It accessed data from the GBIF portal to obtain occurrence records for six endangered mammals in Mexico, using them to demonstrate the potential for such data to help developing countries monitor progress towards CBD targets.

Ramírez-Villegas, J. et al (2010), PLoS ONE, 5(10), e13497. A Gap Analysis Methodology for Collecting Crop Genepools: A Case Study with Phaseolus Beans. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013497.

The paper analyses gaps in the current genetic diversity available in ex situ seedbanks, in order to prioritize collection of crop wild relatives for future crop improvement. Using data accessed through GBIF, as well as herbarium and genebank data, the study identifies a number of “hotspots” for collecting the wild relatives of the common bean in central Mexico.

Bidinger, K. et al (2010), Journal of Applied Entomology. Species distribution models for the alien invasive Asian Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis). http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0418.2010.01598.x

The paper models the potential invasiveness of the Asian Harlequin ladybird based on observed occurrence of the species both in its native range and invasive distributions in Europe. Using presence records of the ladybird accessed via the GBIF portal, along with other resources, the study aimed to improve tools to anticipate potential spread of invasive species and thereby help target control measures.

Hillyer, R. and Silman, M. (2010), Global Change Biology. Changes in species interactions across a 2.5 km elevation gradient: effects on plant migration in response to climate change. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02268.

The paper investigates factors that will affect future abundance of tree species forced to migrate to higher altitudes in the Andes in response to changing climate conditions. It used data from plant collections accessed through the GBIF data portal to calculate elevational ranges of the species under study.

Gaikwad, J. et al (2011), Ecological Modelling. Ecological niche modeling of customary medicinal plant species used by Australian Aborigines to identify species-rich and culturally valuable areas for conservation. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.07.005

The paper uses a modelling programme to map the potential ecological niches for more than 400 plant species used by Australian Aborigines in traditional medicine. Occurrence records from GBIF, both within Australia and globally, together with Australia’s Virtual Herbarium, a major data publisher to the Atlas of Living Australia (the national GBIF ‘node’), helped to indicate ‘bio-cultural diversity hotspots’ where multiple species of customary medicinal use may be located.