Toward a global repository of insect traits ( <scp>GRIT</scp> )
Abstract The pace of biodiversity loss outstrips our ability to conserve Earth's most diverse group of named species—the insects (Arthropoda: Insecta). We increasingly rely on trait‐based metrics to understand how insects respond to and affect their environment. Traits provide insights that aid conservation assessment and planning. Yet, we lack a centralised trait database for insects, hampering insights that could inform ecological research and conservation management planning. We propose the creation of the Global Repository of Insect Traits (GRIT). GRIT will cover all world regions, realms and insect taxa. It will provide open and FAIR access to comprehensive trait data compiled from both currently available and future datasets. This proposal is an open call for all to join a global network of collaborators in a collective effort to accelerate the compilation of insect trait data and increase the transparency of data sharing and accessibility in the field. We envision the use of state‐of‐the‐art methods in trait acquisition and imputation to build computational tools that can extract and validate trait data from unstructured text, accelerating information availability by orders of magnitude. We anticipate the development of analytical tools that contribute to a governance structure, ensuring the long‐term success of the database and extraction tools. Finally, we outline future opportunities and identify several research questions that could be readily answered once data are assembled. Recognising the numerous challenges inherent in this project, we invite a robust discussion on strategies to effectively address obstacles.
Authors
- Michael F. Braby (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5438-587X)
- James S. Pryke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3148-5744)
- Jacob A. Gorneau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9230-9774)
- Mark K. L. Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6248-3103)
- Dragan Chobanov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1642-0363)
- Clint A. Penick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5368-507X)
- Axel Hochkirch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4475-0394)
- Karl A. Roeder (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2628-5003)
- Kayla I. Perry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9903-8057)
- Mário Boieiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9087-091X)
- Vaughn Shirey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3589-9699)
- Nathan Jay Baker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7948-106X)
- Pasi Sihvonen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2237-9325)
- Ellen A. R. Welti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6944-3422)
- Daniel T. Dalton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8267-1155)
- Stéphanie Saussure (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0872-026X)
- Nuria Macías‐Hernández (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4759-3619)
- Elinor M. Lichtenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2729-4534)
- Raphaël K. Didham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6685-7005)
- Pablo Moreno‐García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4780-8248)
- Marija Miličić (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3154-660X)
- Dries Bonte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3320-7505)
- Pedro Trindade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1126-1188)
- Richard Glatz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8889-3701)
- Jorge Ari Noriega (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1760-7020)
- Paulo A. V. Borges (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8448-7623)
- Christoph Scherber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7924-8911)
- Lynne Forster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9195-2768)
- Melinda L. Moir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6765-5162)
- Pedro Cardoso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8119-9960)
- Sergei Tarasov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5237-2330)
- Ameli Kirse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7118-9328)
- Vasco Veiga Branco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7797-3183)
- Luís Correia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3443-5366)
- Carla Rêgo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6423-1164)
- Ilja Svetnik
- Mariana Damas‐Mora
- Ruth Neessen
Institutions
- TH Köln - University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Smithsonian Institution (US)
- Universidade dos Açores (PT)
- Australian National University (AU)
- University of North Texas (US)
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
- University of Tasmania (AU)
- Florida Museum of Natural History (US)
- University of Bonn (DE)
- University of Arizona (US)
- University of Lisbon (PT)
- Universidad de La Laguna (ES)
- University of Novi Sad (RS)
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- University of Cologne (DE)
- Universidad El Bosque (CO)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BG)
- Stellenbosch University (ZA)
- South Australian Museum (AU)
- Government of Western Australia (AU)
- California Academy of Sciences (US)
- Wine Australia (AU)
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (FI)
- Ghent University (BE)
- University of Florida (US)
- Australian National Insect Collection (AU)
- Sustainability Institute (ZA)
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (DE)
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (AU)
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (BG)
- FH Kärnten (AT)
- Tasmanian Land Conservancy (AU)
- Nature Research Centre (LT)
- Finnish Museum of Natural History (FI)
- BioSense Institute (RS)
- Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg (LU)
- ACT Government (AU)
- North Central College (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- The University of Adelaide (AU)
- Auburn University (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Insect Conservation and Diversity
- Published
- 2025-11-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.70035
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.51
Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Helsingin Yliopisto
- European Commission
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme