iEcology: Harnessing Large Online Resources to Generate Ecological Insights

Ivan Jarić; Ricardo A Correia; Barry W Brook; Jessie C Buettel; Franck Courchamp; Enrico Di Minin; Josh A Firth; Kevin J Gaston; Paul Jepson; Gregor Kalinkat; Richard Ladle; Andrea Soriano-Redondo; Allan T Souza; Uri Roll

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2020.03.003

iEcology: Harnessing Large Online Resources to Generate Ecological Insights

Trends Ecol Evol. 2020 Jul;35(7):630-639. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.03.003. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecosystem Biology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Helsinki Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Conservation Science, Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Av. Lourival Melo Mota, Maceió, AL, Brazil.
³ School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
⁴ Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405, Orsay, France.
⁵ Helsinki Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Conservation Science, Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
⁶ Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁷ Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK.
⁸ School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁹ Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany.
¹⁰ Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Av. Lourival Melo Mota, Maceió, AL, Brazil.
¹¹ Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
¹² Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
¹³ Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.

PMID: 32521246
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.03.003

Abstract

Digital data are accumulating at unprecedented rates. These contain a lot of information about the natural world, some of which can be used to answer key ecological questions. Here, we introduce iEcology (i.e., internet ecology), an emerging research approach that uses diverse online data sources and methods to generate insights about species distribution over space and time, interactions and dynamics of organisms and their environment, and anthropogenic impacts. We review iEcology data sources and methods, and provide examples of potential research applications. We also outline approaches to reduce potential biases and improve reliability and applicability. As technologies and expertise improve, and costs diminish, iEcology will become an increasingly important means to gain novel insights into the natural world.

Keywords: biodiversity; biogeography; culturomics; data mining; digital data; internet; social media.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Biodiversity*
Ecology*
Reproducibility of Results