Data stories: Open data for climate justice

Access to reusable, restriction-free open data is critically important to advancing research that helps communities around the world understand and respond to the impacts of climate change. In support of this year’s Open Access Week theme, “open for climate justice,” Dryad data curator Bryan Gee rounded up a sample of the many Dryad datasets published in support of climate-related research.  

The role of museums in climate and biodiversity research

1. Jensen et al. identified a new (but sadly now-extinct) lineage of Galapagos giant tortoise by sampling skeletons collected 116 years ago and now stored at the California Academy of Sciences. Access the data and read the article.
2. Wehi et al. analyzed isotopic data from dozens of museum specimens of the New Zealand kea, some nearly 150 old, to test whether increased human land-use led to dietary shifts in this parrot. Access the data and read the article.
3. Stuart et al. compared genomic data of 19th-century and modern common starlings and found parallel evolution (globally common factors) and divergent evolution (novel habitat invasion). Access the data and read the article.
4. Dubinner and Meiri examined around eight thousand bird specimens collected over the last 70 years in Israel and found that birds have either become smaller or longer, both adaptations to mitigate higher temperatures. Access the data and read the article.
5. Castelli et al. studied museum and wild specimens of the bearded dragon (with temperature-dependent sex determination) and found that local adaptation counteracts the tendency for high temperatures leading to sex reversal. Access the data and read the article.
6. Sheard et al. used datasets, including museum collections, to examine ant biodiversity in Denmark over 119 years, showing dynamics are more complex than the simple “insect decline” narrative. Access the data and read the article.

Impacts of climate change and human activity on terrestrial (land) ecosystems

1. Wu et al. studied Chinese piebald odorous frogs on dam-formed artificial islands and found island females show dwarfism and diet shifts compared to non-islanders, but island males show no differences. Access the data and read the article.
2. Pellerin et al. tested experimental populations of the common lizard and found that the effects of temperature increases on life history and population structure is highly dependent on (dis)connectivity between thermal habitats. Access the data and read the article.
3. Liu et al. modeled future ranges of giant pandas under different climate scenarios and showed that habitat loss may not be as high as previously thought, but the risk differs greatly between mountain ranges. Access the data and read the article.
4. Didion-Gency et al. studied the effect of increased temperature and reduced water on European beech and oak trees and found that both are adversely affected but interspecies interactions partially mitigate for oak. Access the data and read the article.
5. Hoy et al. compared factors affecting nutritional restriction in moose and found that climate variation was more influential than biotic factors like density, predation, and diet composition. Access the data and read the article.
6. Castaño Sanz et al. studied seed beetles exposed to non-lethal doses of pesticides, which affected lifespan and reproduction in later generations, showing long-term impacts of environmental decisions. Access the data and read the article.

Impacts of climate change and human activity on aquatic ecosystems

1. Isotalo et al. exposed sticklebacks to prolonged heat and showed that duration of extreme climate events is crucial for assessing impact. Short- and long-term exposures may differ drastically. Access the data and read the article.
2. Holt and Boersma documented a catastrophic extreme-heat-induced mortality event of Magellanic Penguins (44 degrees Celcius shade temperature). It is critical to document extreme weather events and their effects on organisms as frequency increases. Access the data and read the article.
3. Wright et al. identified interspecific variation in kelps’ ability to sequester carbon (carbon exportation versus decomp rate). Kelp adapted to warmer temperatures has lower sequestration potential. Access the data and read the article.
4. Steward-Sinclair et al. assessed global vulnerability of mollusc aquaculture to climate change and ocean acidification. Rapid local and global declines are likely within decades. Access the data and read the article.
5. Anderson et al. developed habitat suitability models for deep-sea corals in New Zealand and showed that existing protected regions have minimal overlap with current and predicted coral ranges. Access the data and read the article.
6. Diamantopoulou et al. tested effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) on plankton; Red and green (used to help birds and sea turtles) increased plankton growth including species known for harmful algal blooms. Access the data and read the article.

Impacts of climate change and human activity on airborne life and the atmosphere

1. Naimi et al. modeled the effects of climate and land-cover change on bird distributions. Temperate regions increased in habitability (tropicalizing) while current tropical zones decreased. Access the data and read the article.
2. A study by Sanderfoot and Gardner tested the effects of wildfire smoke on bird detection in the state of Washington and found that smoke notably decreased the probability of observing many species. Access the data and read the article.
3. Wang et al. studied Japanese pipistrelle bats living near an airport and found that airport noise does not overlap with echolocation vocals but bats greatly reduce feeding activity to avoid noise. Access the data and read the article.
4. A study by Goldsmith et al. on seasonal origin of water in Swiss trees found they mostly use winter water, even in peak summer, but variation between species and years studied. Access the data and read the article.
5. A study by Gerson et al. found the Amazon forest canopy captures mercury from gold mining, limiting broader release but also concentrating it locally, as found in soil and songbird samples. Access the data and read the article.
6. A study by Johnson et al. tested effects of higher CO2 on wheat’s anti-herbivore defenses. Silica allocation decreased while phenolics (chemical) allocation increased, resulting in total defense still being effective. Access the data and read the article.

Impacts of anthropogenic activity on the environment and the life that we share our planet with

1. Rabow et al. found that heavy metal contamination in forests not only inhibits decomposition but also increases antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria, a new reservoir of microbial resistance. Access the data and read the article.
2. Coelho et al. studied the utility to humans and relative abundance of arboreal Amazon plants and found that approximately 50 percent of species are useful but these represent a whopping 84 percent of all individual plants. Access the data and read the article.
3. Felderhoff et al. compared urban gardens to see which support diverse bee communities. Use of evidence-based strategies (e.g., increasing nest resources) can maximize the habitability of urban habitats. Access the data and read the article.
4. Brauns et al. Synthesized impact of human activity on stream and river functionality and identified major effects of stressors like wastewater and agriculture. Access the data and read the article.
5. A study by Koehn et al. designed a framework using species risk and economic dependency to assess current and future vulnerability of fishing-dependent communities in California, Oregon, and Washington. Access the data and read the  article.
6. Jiang et al. tested effects of microplastics on larval development of channel catfish and found that after 48 hours, microplastics adversely affected gene expression, metabolism, and organ development. Access the data and read the article.
7. A study by Yabsley et al. on the gray-headed flying fox found this urban species prefers residential spaces (diverse anthropogenic food options). Access the data and read the article.
8. Penjor et al. tested effects of settlement density on large carnivores in Bhutan. Differing dynamics of co-occurrence between dholes, leopards, and tigers show human activity mediates carnivore behavior. Access the data and read the article.

We appreciate all of the authors who publish datasets with us and who contribute to open data and open science. Dryad, our software and all your research data, will always be non-profit, community-led, open access and open source. Explore more Dryad data by subject, location, and keyword search. 

– – –

Feedback and questions are always welcome, to hello@datadryad.org. 

To keep in touch with the latest updates from Dryad, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.