Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Multiple Allele Traits

Multiple Allele Traits

The Concept of Multiple Allelism

Pedigree Analysis

Pedigree Analysis

Genetic Screens

Genetic Screens

Genetic screens are tools used to identify genes and mutations responsible for phenotypes of interest. Genetic screens help identify individuals or a group of people at risk of developing genetic diseases and help them with early intervention, targeted therapy, and reproductive options.
Forward genetic screens
Forward or “classical” genetic screens involve creating random mutations in an organism’s DNA using radiation, mutagens, or insertion of additional bases, which...

Conservation of Small Populations

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...

Data Collection by Observations

Data Collection by Observations

Data collection refers to a systematic way of obtaining, observing, measuring, and analyzing accurate information. Observational studies are one of the most widely used methods of data collection. It involves collecting data by observing the behavior and physical characteristics of a sample without making any modifications to the sample.
An astronomer viewing the motion and brightness of stars in the sky and recording the data is an example of observational data collection. A botanist recording...

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Biodiversity effects under climate extremes intensify with aridity in grasslands but not forests.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026

Same author

Contrasting anthropogenic drivers of mercury bioaccumulation in fish and associated dietary exposure risks in Amazon and Cerrado floodplain lakes.

Environmental geochemistry and health·2026

Same author

Biodiversity buffers forest ecosystems from compound climate extremes.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Evolutionary history drives organ-specific variability in plant non-structural carbohydrates.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026

Same author

Biogeography of community canopy leaf traits and their links to global forest photosynthesis.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> and warming intensify plant reliance on soil nitrogen reserves despite intensive fertilization.

Nature communications·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Generation and Multi-phenotypic High-content Screening of Coxiella burnetii Transposon Mutants

Generation and Multi-phenotypic High-content Screening of Coxiella burnetii Transposon Mutants

Published on: May 13, 2015

ZooTraits: An R shiny app for exploring animal trait data for ecological and evolutionary research.

Thiago Gonçalves-Souza^1,2,3, Beatriz Milz⁴, Nathan J Sanders²

¹Institute for Global Change Biology, School for Environment and Sustainability University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA.

Ecology and Evolution

|May 2, 2024

Summary

ZooTraits is a new open-source app that centralizes scattered animal trait data. It provides a user-friendly platform for researchers to explore, compare, and download diverse animal trait information for ecological and evolutionary studies.

Keywords:

Open Science Raunkiæran shortfall animal trait database trait‐based ecology

More Related Videos

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus

Published on: November 6, 2014

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Generation and Multi-phenotypic High-content Screening of Coxiella burnetii Transposon Mutants

Generation and Multi-phenotypic High-content Screening of Coxiella burnetii Transposon Mutants

Published on: May 13, 2015

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus

Quantification of Orofacial Phenotypes in Xenopus

Published on: November 6, 2014

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

Area of Science:

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Bioinformatics
Zoology

Background:

Animal trait data are fragmented across numerous datasets, hindering comparative ecological and evolutionary research.
Unlike plant trait databases (e.g., TRY), a centralized resource for animal traits has been lacking.
This fragmentation complicates the synthesis of trait information crucial for understanding biodiversity patterns and processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce ZooTraits, a novel Shiny app designed to consolidate and facilitate access to animal trait data.
To provide researchers with a user-friendly, open-source platform for exploring, comparing, and downloading animal trait information.
To serve as a central hub for trait data, supporting advancements in trait-based ecological and evolutionary studies.

Main Methods:

Development of a Shiny app integrating data from the Open Trait Network, the AnimalTraits database, and compiled literature data.
Implementation of user-friendly functionalities: ExploreTrait, FeedTrait, and GetTrait for data visualization, comparison, and download.
Aggregation of trait records covering thousands of species across diverse taxonomic groups, ecosystems, and geographic regions.

Main Results:

ZooTraits centralizes trait data from multiple sources, offering access to 3954 trait records for 23,394 species via the Open Traits Network.
The app provides trait data for approximately 2000 species from the AnimalTraits database.
It summarizes trait information across various animal taxa, ecosystems, and regions, with functionalities for data upload to foster database expansion.

Conclusions:

ZooTraits addresses the critical need for a centralized, accessible platform for animal trait data.
The app's functionalities streamline data exploration, comparison, and download, significantly aiding trait-based research.
By promoting data sharing and centralization, ZooTraits facilitates progress in ecological and evolutionary studies across the animal kingdom.