A decade of open biodiversity data in the Azores: closing knowledge gaps and building a foundation for long-term monitoring

Ten years of dedicated biodiversity research and coordinated open-data publication have built an extensive, reusable knowledge base for the Azores. We synthesize this collective achievement through the AZORES BIOTA and BioMonI-Plot collections, evaluating its contribution to addressing the Wallacean and Prestonian shortfalls and identifying priorities for future research and monitoring. Focusing on the nine islands of this North Atlantic archipelago, we review publications issued between 2016 and May 2026, encompassing terrestrial and marine organisms across six kingdoms. We combine curated publication and dataset metadata with Darwin Core occurrenceID-linked species and subspecies records to assess spatial, taxonomic, temporal and methodological coverage, species accumulation by colonization status, and island species–area relationships. Across 91 publications, the collections document 931 animal, 1,185 plant and 742 fungal species and subspecies, alongside taxa from three additional kingdoms, and identify 598 additions to the Azorean Biodiversity Portal reference list. This sustained effort has substantially expanded accessible knowledge of species distributions, contributing to reducing the Wallacean shortfall. Arthropod abundance datasets and repeated standardized surveys also alleviate the Prestonian shortfall by enabling assessments of population and community change. Together, these resources establish valuable baselines for biodiversity assessment, invasion surveillance and conservation planning. The synthesis also reveals uneven coverage among islands, taxa and habitats, with spatial differences in research effort complicating interpretation of species–area relationships. The Azorean experience demonstrates the substantial scientific value of sustained regional expertise, collaboration and standardized open-data publication for understanding island biodiversity. By consolidating achievements and making remaining gaps explicit, this synthesis provides a foundation for targeted investment in underrepresented biota, spatially balanced surveys and sustained abundance monitoring, strengthening the evidence base for future biodiversity research and conservation.

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Published
2026-11-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e221484
Primary Topic
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
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preprint
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preprint

A decade of open biodiversity data in the Azores: closing knowledge gaps and building a foundation for long-term monitoring

Márcia C. M. Coelho, Amélia Fonseca, Andrea Z. Botelho, Afonso L. Prestes et al.
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Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
preprint

A decade of open biodiversity data in the Azores: closing knowledge gaps and building a foundation for long-term monitoring

Márcia C. M. Coelho, Amélia Fonseca, Andrea Z. Botelho, Afonso L. Prestes, Ana M. C. Santos, Luís M. D. Barcelos, Jagoba Malumbres‐Olarte, Ricardo Costa, Isabel Rosário Amorim, Antonio Onofre Soares, David João Horta Lopes, Enric Ballesteros, Rita Ferreira Patarra, Abrão Leite, Eva Cuesta, Silvia Poponessi, Catarina Drumonde Melo, R. L. Fletcher, Rúben Coelho, Luís C Crespo, Sofia de Fátima Paim Goulart, Rúben Heleno, Elisabete Nogueira, Artur Gil, Virgílio Vieira, Roberto Resendes, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Guilherme Oyarzabal, Pedro M. Raposeiro, Rui Carvalho, Mário Boieiro, João P. Barreiros, M. Souto, Rui B. Elias, Hugo Renato Calado, Cecı́lia Sérgio, William F. Farnham, P. Monjardino, Sophie Wallon, José M. N. Azevedo, Lucas Lamelas-López, Michael Schülke, Sébastien Lhoumeau, Duarte Toubarro, Pedro Afonso, Gábor Pozsgai, Débora S. G. Henriques, Paulo A. V. Borges, Laura González García, Leila Nunes Morgado, Pedro Cardoso, Rosalina Maria de Almeida Gabriel, Manuela Sim‐Sim, Stéphanie R.A. Suciu, François Rigal A, Lurdes Borges Silva, Noëlline Tsafack, Eva Cacabelos, César M M Pimentel, Jorge Frías, Alejandra Ros‐Prieto, Peter E. Stüben, David Milla‐Figueras, Gábor L. Löveï, Ana Cristina Costa, Rúben Luz, Nuno V. Álvaro, Rita Cordeiro, Georgianna Silveira, Manuela Parente, Laurine Parmentier, José Marcelino, Raul Neto, Martha Vounatsi, Almudena Duenas-Rojas, Andrea Petrone, Nelson Simões, Rui Andrade, Alexandra Dal Lago, Claudine AH-PENG, Mariana A. Sousa, Fernando Pereira, Carina Costa, Ana Rodrigues, Enésima Pereira, Isabel Borges, Sandra Monteiro, Mariana Brito, Vítor Gonçalves, António Rodrigues, José Mota, Maria Pereira, Luís Silva, Mário Teixeira, João Tavares, Rui Nunes, Ignacio Moreu
preprint en

Abstract

Ten years of dedicated biodiversity research and coordinated open-data publication have built an extensive, reusable knowledge base for the Azores. We synthesize this collective achievement through the AZORES BIOTA and BioMonI-Plot collections, evaluating its contribution to addressing the Wallacean and Prestonian shortfalls and identifying priorities for future research and monitoring. Focusing on the nine islands of this North Atlantic archipelago, we review publications issued between 2016 and May 2026, encompassing terrestrial and marine organisms across six kingdoms. We combine curated publication and dataset metadata with Darwin Core occurrenceID-linked species and subspecies records to assess spatial, taxonomic, temporal and methodological coverage, species accumulation by colonization status, and island species–area relationships. Across 91 publications, the collections document 931 animal, 1,185 plant and 742 fungal species and subspecies, alongside taxa from three additional kingdoms, and identify 598 additions to the Azorean Biodiversity Portal reference list. This sustained effort has substantially expanded accessible knowledge of species distributions, contributing to reducing the Wallacean shortfall. Arthropod abundance datasets and repeated standardized surveys also alleviate the Prestonian shortfall by enabling assessments of population and community change. Together, these resources establish valuable baselines for biodiversity assessment, invasion surveillance and conservation planning. The synthesis also reveals uneven coverage among islands, taxa and habitats, with spatial differences in research effort complicating interpretation of species–area relationships. The Azorean experience demonstrates the substantial scientific value of sustained regional expertise, collaboration and standardized open-data publication for understanding island biodiversity. By consolidating achievements and making remaining gaps explicit, this synthesis provides a foundation for targeted investment in underrepresented biota, spatially balanced surveys and sustained abundance monitoring, strengthening the evidence base for future biodiversity research and conservation.

Universidade dos Açores (PT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR), Museum für Naturkunde (DE), Eurac Research (IT), University of Helsinki (FI), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), University of Lisbon (PT), Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (FR), University of Cagliari (IT), Universidade do Porto (PT), Université de Montpellier (FR), Aarhus University (DK), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), University of Reunion Island (RE), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (ES), Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux (FR), Curculio Institute (DE), Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES), Ciência Viva (PT), Peuplements végétaux et bioagresseurs en milieu tropical (RE), Finnish Museum of Natural History (FI), Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale (FR), Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (FR), International Union for Conservation of Nature (CH), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo (ES), Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (PT), Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso (PT), Instituto de Investigação em Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos (PT), IUCN Species Survival Commission (CH), Centro de Biotecnologia dos Açores (PT), Instituto de Investigação e Tecnologia da Agronomia e Meio Ambiente (PT), Laboratório Associado TERRA (PT), University of Portsmouth (GB), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), University of Coimbra (PT), University of Bologna (IT)
Life on land, Life below water
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
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