Data contributors

Data Contributors

Sources and collections that make BIEN possible

BIEN 4.2 integrates data from herbaria, vegetation-plot networks, citizen-science streams, and partner databases. We gratefully acknowledge every contributing source.

BIEN 4.2 contribution footprint

The BIEN 4.2 release includes 284,466,171 occurrence records assembled from multiple contributor pathways:

  • 73,927,842 from herbarium specimens
  • 153,551,098 from citizen science (for example, iNaturalist)
  • 17,247,823 from vegetation plots
  • 25,932,454 trait measurements (54 standardized traits)
  • 39,358,991 from other/additional sources

BIEN 4.2 also includes 363,258 surveyed vegetation plots, 380,417 trait observation studies, and range products for 98,829 species in the BIEN Americas maps plus 289,743 global OpenRange maps.

Contributor lists

Explore the current contributor rosters:

BIEN data and database description

BIEN data mainly comprise herbarium collections, ecological plots and surveys, and trait observations. This page summarizes those inputs in a website-friendly format aligned with Enquist et al. (2026). Additional technical detail can be provided as a dedicated supplementary web page.

Data source references: specimen source details in Maitner et al. (2017); full provider listings via BIEN contributor pages above. A public GitHub link for complete supplementary tables can be posted after double-blind review.

Botanical data within BIEN

BIEN integrates observation data from herbaria, citizen science, ecological plots/surveys, and trait records.

Herbaria and citizen science observations

BIEN 4.2.8 (BIEN metadata database version) includes data from major botanical aggregators and partner sources, including:

BIEN currently integrates records from 804 herbaria, many listed in Index Herbariorum. A GBIF access snapshot referenced for BIEN is https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.87zyez.

The complete herbarium-code list is maintained as supplementary content rather than embedded inline on this page for readability.

Plot and ecological survey observations

BIEN includes data from multiple plot and ecological-survey networks, including CTFS/ForestGEO, Carolina Vegetation Survey (CVS), US Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), SALVIAS, TEAM, VegBank, New Zealand NVS Databank, and MADIDI.

Trait data and observations

Trait observations are compiled from published studies and curated data sources. Supporting resources:

BIEN species range maps

BIEN range products are generated using species distribution modeling workflows that combine occurrence records with climatic and edaphic predictors at gridded resolution, while excluding spatial and environmental outliers and limiting extrapolation outside training domains. Species are modeled with different methods depending on record availability (for example, Poisson point process models for larger samples and conservative range-bagging for sparse data), with model evaluation using pAUC, TSS, and sensitivity. This framework is designed to balance ecological realism with conservative prediction for under-sampled species.

Citation and source tables

These BIEN 4.2 totals follow Enquist et al. (2026): BIEN: A biodiversity informatics ecosystem advancing open and reproducible workflows for plant observation, plot and trait data, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 17(5), 1556-1584. DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.70274.

Release source tables and breakdowns are available at Zenodo: 10.5281/zenodo.18391931.

The BIEN team is deeply appreciative of all data providers and curators whose contributions make this resource possible.

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