Traits
The reason we’re here
Image by Chris Conroy, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology ©
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Why Traits?
Traits are the morphological, reproductive, physiological and behavioral properties of organisms. These characteristics are important for biodiversity research, monitoring, and educational initiatives because they form the interface between individuals and their environment. Traits allow researchers to:
- link trait variation to environments, ecological contexts, and time;
- analyze distributions of trait values and develop richer models of trait evolution;
- cross-validate the species-level trait data currently held in community trait databases;
- rapidly update understanding of trait variation within lineages as taxon concepts are continually revised.
Ranges Trait List
Ranges has identified the following traits as essential for the success of this project. This list is likely to evolve during the life of the project. This not a comprehensive list of all measurable mammal traits.
Ranges Traits List v20231221.pdf
| Trait Term | Definition | Proposed Term within FOVT | Ontology Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| age | General description of the age. See also age class and numeric age. | ||
| age class | The age class, reproductive stage, life stage of the biological individual (e.g., juvenile, adult, eft, nymph, etc.). | ||
| life stage | The developmental stage of the life cycle of the organism represented. Github Issue | ||
| numeric age | Age of specimen given as a numeric value plus units. | ||
| sex | Sex of the organism. | ||
| colors | General description of colors. | ||
| molt condition | General description of molt stage or condition. | ||
| total length | Length of body from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail vertebrae along the anterior-posterior axis. | body length with tail | FOVT:0000001 |
| tail length | Length of tail vertebrae. | tail length | OBA:0002758 |
| hind foot with claw | Length of hindfoot from the back of the ankle to the tip of the longest claw. | pes length with nail | FOVT:0000003 |
| hind foot without claw | Length of hindfoot from the back of the ankle to the base of the longest claw. | pes length without nail | FOVT:0000004 |
| ear from crown | Length of ear from the crown to the tip. | ||
| ear from notch | Length of ear from the crown to the tip. | ear length to notch | FOVT:0000005 |
| weight | Weight of body. | weight | PATO:0000128 |
| calcar length | Length of a spur of cartilage arising from inner side of ankle and running along part of outer interfemoral membrane in bats. | ||
| forearm length | Length of forelimb between the elbow and the wrist | forearm length | FOVT:0001379 |
| thumb length with claw | Length of first digit of forelimb (pollex) from the base to the tip of the longest claw. | ||
| tragus length | Length of a pointed eminence of the external ear, situated in front of the concha, and projecting backward over the meatus | ||
| vaginal perforation | degree of perforation of the female vagina | ||
| nipple size | degree of lactational enlargement of the female nipple | OBA:0002334 or MP:0013713 | |
| lactation | Secretion or expression of milk from the mammary glands. | lactation | GO_0007595 |
| pregnancy | Containing a developing embryo, fetus, or unborn offspring within the body. | pregnant | UBERON:0009097 |
| placental scars | Presence of sites of former embryo implantation in uterus, appearing as pigmented areas. | ||
| embryo count | Number of embryos observed in uterus. | number of viable embryos | CMO:0002546 |
| left embryo count | Number of embryos observed in left horn of uterus. | ||
| right embryo count | Number of embryos observed in right horn of uterus. | ||
| left placental scar count | Number of placental scars observed in left horn of uterus. | ||
| right placental scar count | Number of placental scars observed in right horn of uterus. | ||
| placental scar count | Number of placental scars observed in uterus. | ||
| parity | The number of time that a viviparous organism has given birth. | parity | PATO:0002370 |
| crown-rump length | Length from the crown of the head to bottom of the rump of a fetus or embryo, taken in straight line along body axis. | crown-rump length | NCIT:C81242 |
| curvilinear length | Length from the crown of the head to bottom of the rump of a fetus or embryo, taken along the spinal curvature. | ||
| reproductive data | General description of reproductive data. | ||
| testis position | Degree of descent of the male gonad. | testis position | OBA:1000107 |
| testis length | Length of the long axis of male gonad spheroid | testis length | FOVT:0001057 |
| left testis length | Length of the long axis of left male gonad spheroid | left testis length | FOVT:0001059 |
| right testis length | Length of the long axis of right male gonad spheroid | right testis length | FOVT:0001058 |
| left testis width | Length of the short axis of left male gonad spheroid (perpendicular to long axis at midpoint) | left testis width | FOVT:0001368 |
| right testis width | Length of the short axis of right male gonad spheroid (perpendicular to long axis at midpoint) | right testis width | FOVT:0001368 |
Version Tracker
| Version | Release Date | Posted by |
|---|---|---|
| 20231221 | December 21, 2023 | dbloom |