Over three-quarters of earthworm species lack protection in China, a crisis exacerbated by climate change

This dataset was systematically constructed to assess the distribution of earthworm diversity in China, the impacts of climate change, and conservation gaps. It integrates earthworm distribution records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the Chinese Earthworm Database, the Taiwan Earthworm Database, and published literature, spanning the period from 1986 to 2024. After rigorous coordinate validation, removal of duplicate records, and spatial thinning at a 5 km resolution, 5,334 valid records were obtained, covering 306 earthworm species. Additionally, for rare species with fewer than five records (accounting for approximately 51% of the total species), data were separately compiled for climate change exposure analysis (e.g., PCA climate distance calculation) to comprehensively evaluate the conservation needs of all known earthworm taxa. For environmental data, bioclimatic variables, soil properties, and topographic factors under current and future (2050s, 2090s) s..., , # Data from: Over three-quarters of earthworm species lack protection in China, a crisis exacerbated by climate change

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.k3j9kd5q8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k3j9kd5q8)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset was constructed through extensive compilation of earthworm distribution records from multiple sources, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the China Earthworm Database, the Taiwan Earthworm Database, and published literature. Records span the period from 1986 to July 2024 and underwent rigorous quality control: entries lacking precise coordinates or containing duplicate information were excluded, and spatial thinning (5-kilometer distance threshold) was applied to minimize sampling bias. The final dataset comprises 5,334 spatially unique records covering 306 earthworm species within China. Additionally, distribution data for species with fewer than five records (approximately 51% of total species) were r..., ,