MSU unveils tools, techniques that can inform conservation efforts for data-poor species

trueCollege of Natural Science,EEB,Integrative Biology10/26/2023MSU unveils tools, techniques that can inform conservation efforts for data-poor species

Integrative biologist Elise Zipkin and her team at Michigan State University have developed a framework that can help scientists understand trends in biodiversity by using data from well-characterized species to provide insights on data-deficient species. They’re using information from well-quantified animals to reveal insights about less common, harder-to-observe species. Now, they’re sharing their methods with the wider research and conservation community in the Journal of Animal Ecology.

Integrative biologist Elise Zipkin and her team at Michigan State University have developed a sort of “Robin Hood” approach to better understand and protect the world’s biodiversity.
Integrated community models can be used to estimate species’ trends and demographic rates over space and time, even for rarer species.
The new report can be used as how-to guide for those who want to use the team’s methods to draw insights from a variety of different data sources describing multiple species.
The next step will be working with partners in government and nongovernmental organizations who can use information from the models as they develop conservation strategies.

Matt Davenport

One of the strengths of a new biodiversity modeling framework developed by Michigan State University researchers is its ability to combine data frame various sources. The researchers demonstrated this strength using a case study involving 10 Midwestern butterfly species, including the Peck’s skipper, or Polites peckius.

Integrative Biologybiodiversity modelingconservationdata gapseebquantitative ecology