Canadian Forest Service Publications
Managing data locally to answer questions globally: the role of collaborative science in ecology. 2020. Aubin, I.; Cardou, F.; Boisvert-Marsh, L.; Garnier, E.; Strukelj, M.; Munson, A.D.; Gachet, S. Journal of Vegetative Science: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12864.
Year: 2020
Issued by: Great Lakes Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 40098
Language: English
Availability: PDF (request by e-mail)
Available from the Journal's Web site. †
DOI: 10.1111/jvs.12864
† This site may require a fee
Plain Language Summary
This paper promotes the role of collaborative, grassroots initiatives in facilitating and improving access to ecological data while addressing complex research questions. Ecologists are increasingly challenged to answer questions beyond the capacity of a single lab, requiring a transdisciplinary approach to effectively address them. Our commentary underscores the benefits that grassroot data integration initiatives can bring to individual researchers and to the larger scientific community. To highlight this, we showcase three initiatives which vary in their objectives, extent of area studied, study duration and even their disciplines. These initiatives demonstrate the importance of establishing standards in data collection and terminology while fostering good data management practices among collaborators. Ultimately, favouring data integration and approaching ecological questions from different perspectives contribute to answering important ecological questions and supporting policy decisions.
