COMADRE: a global data base of animal demography

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Demography

Background:

• Open-data initiatives are advancing ecology and evolution.
• Existing databases cover migration and species distribution, but lack population dynamics data.
• Matrix population models (MPMs) are crucial for understanding animal life histories and environmental interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the COMADRE Animal Matrix Database, an open-data repository for animal demographic data.
• To address the gap in accessible, comprehensive data on animal population dynamics.
• To facilitate comparative analyses across diverse animal species.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of animal demographic records into MPMs.
• Creation of an online, open-data repository (COMADRE).
• Inclusion of ancillary data (ecoregion, taxonomy, biogeography) for enhanced interpretation.

Main Results:

• COMADRE version 1.0.0 contains data for 345 species from 402 studies.
• The database includes 1625 population projection matrices.
• Ancillary information facilitates the interpretation of demographic metrics.

Conclusions:

• COMADRE provides a valuable resource for comparative analysis in animal demography.
• The open-data nature and integration with other resources will enable large-scale ecological and evolutionary studies.
• Future updates and integration will support tackling global questions with unprecedented sample sizes.