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Art as a source of historical biodiversity data
Jiajia Liu1,2, Charles Davis3
1State Key Laboratory of Wetland Conservation and Restoration, MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
Iscience
|February 24, 2026
Summary
Artworks offer valuable biodiversity data, revealing extinct species and historical ecological changes. Interdisciplinary studies combining art and science can enhance our understanding of past life and human-nature interactions.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Art History
- Biodiversity Science
Background:
- Art reflects human-nature relationships, providing historical ecological context.
- Artworks are increasingly recognized as data sources for biodiversity research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize evidence on using art for biodiversity reconstruction.
- To explore insights from art on extinct species, population dynamics, and species traits.
- To investigate how biological materials in art reveal human-species interactions.
Main Methods:
- Review of prehistoric cave art, historical illustrations, and literary arts.
- Analysis of artworks for data on extinct species, population dynamics, and distributional shifts.
- Examination of artworks made from biological materials.
Main Results:
- Art provides insights into extinct species, historical population dynamics, and distributional shifts.
- Artworks reveal temporal changes in species' traits and human-species interactions.
- Biological materials in art offer data on past ecological interactions.
Conclusions:
- Art is a valuable, albeit challenging, source for biodiversity research.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to maximize art's potential in biodiversity science.
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