Data_Sheet_1_Harmonizing and Searching Macroinvertebrate Trait Information in Alpine Streams: Method and Application–A Case Study in the Three Parallel Rivers Region, China.docx

The traits of organisms provide critical information for understanding changes in biodiversity and ecosystem function at large scales. In recent years, trait databases of macroinvertebrates have been developed across continents. Anyone using different databases to search for traits will encounter a series of problems that lead to uncertain results due to the inconsistency of the trait information. For example, traits for a particular macroinvertebrate taxon may be inconsistent across databases, coded in inconsistent ways, or cannot be found. However, most of the current studies do not clearly state their solutions, which seriously hinders the accuracy and comparability of global trait studies. To solve these problems, we collected representative databases from several continents, including the United States, Europe, South Africa, Bolivia, Australia, and New Zealand. By comparing the inconsistency of similar trait classifications in the nine databases, we harmonized 41 of these grouping features. We found that these databases differed widely in terms of the range and category of traits. And the method of coding traits also varies from database to database. Moreover, we showed a set of trait searching rules that integrate trait databases from different regions of the world, allowing traits to be identified more easily and uniformly using different trait databases worldwide. We also applied this method to determine the traits of 155 macroinvertebrate taxa in the Three Parallel Rivers Region (TPRR). The results showed that among a total of 155 macroinvertebrate taxa, the 41 grouping features of all genera were not fully identified, and 32 genera were not recorded (thus using family-level data). No trait information was found at all for two families, which contain two genera. This suggests that many macroinvertebrate taxa and their traits have not been fully studied, especially in those regions, including China, where macroinvertebrate trait studies are lagging. This inadequacy and unevenness have seriously hindered the study and development of macroinvertebrate trait and functional diversity worldwide. Our results complement the information on stream macroinvertebrate traits in the TPRR, a global biodiversity hotspot, and greatly promote the uniformity of global trait research and the accuracy and comparability of trait research in different regions.

生物体的特性为理解大规模的生物多样性和生态系统功能的变化提供了关键信息。近年来，全球各地相继建立了大型无脊椎动物特性数据库。在使用不同数据库搜索特性时，用户往往会遇到一系列问题，这些问题源于特性信息的非一致性，导致结果的不确定性。例如，特定的大型无脊椎动物分类单元的特性信息在不同数据库中可能存在不一致，编码方式各异，或者无法找到。然而，目前大多数研究并未明确阐述其解决方案，这严重阻碍了全球特性研究的准确性和可比性。为了解决这些问题，我们从多个大陆收集了代表性数据库，包括美国、欧洲、南非、玻利维亚、澳大利亚和新西兰。通过对九个数据库中相似特性分类的不一致性进行比较，我们协调了其中的41个分组特征。我们发现，这些数据库在特性的范围和类别上存在显著差异，且特性的编码方法也各不相同。此外，我们提出了一套特性搜索规则，该规则整合了全球不同地区的特性数据库，使得利用不同地区的特性数据库更容易、更统一地识别特性。我们还将此方法应用于确定三江并流地区（TPRR）中155个大型无脊椎动物类群的特征。结果显示，在总共155个大型无脊椎动物类群中，所有属的41个分组特征并未完全识别，其中32个属未被记录（因此使用了科一级的数据）。有两个科的特性和信息完全缺失，包含两个属。这表明，许多大型无脊椎动物类群及其特性尚未得到充分研究，尤其是在那些包括中国在内的、大型无脊椎动物特性研究滞后的地区。这种不足和不均衡性严重阻碍了全球大型无脊椎动物特性和功能多样性的研究和开发。我们的结果补充了三江并流地区（TPRR），这一全球生物多样性热点地区的溪流大型无脊椎动物特性信息，并极大地推动了全球特性研究的统一性，以及不同地区特性研究的准确性和可比性。