Importance of timely metadata curation to the global surveillance of genetic diversity

Abstract

Genetic diversity within species represents a fundamental yet underappreciated level of biodiversity. Because genetic diversity can indicate species resilience to changing climate, its measurement is relevant to many national and global conservation policy targets. Many studies produce large amounts of genome-scale genetic diversity data for wild populations, but most (87%) do not include the associated spatial and temporal metadata necessary for them to be reused in monitoring programs or for acknowledging the sovereignty of nations or Indigenous peoples. We undertook a distributed datathon to quantify the This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

Genomic Tools in Biological Invasions: Current State and Future Frontiers

“…Standardized reporting of all available metadata for genomic data from both historical and contemporary samples will provide an ongoing resource for researchers beyond the scope of the initial research—especially because recoverability of “missing” metadata is low ( Crandall et al 2023 ). When capturing sample and metadata information, an agreed set of uniform language and required fields should be integrated, placing high importance on data provision associated with habitat, host, and native/invasive status ( Vaughan et al 2023 ).…”

A pragmatic approach for integrating molecular tools into biodiversity conservation

“… Commit to long‐term storage and availability of samples, data, and metadata : Enable future research, consistent with both the FAIR and CARE guiding principles, with clear agreements regarding sample, data, and metadata ownership and conditions of use. Ensure data and metadata availability in public data repositories where appropriate; also see Crandall et al (2023); Kitchener et al (2021); Strand et al (2020). Commit to long‐term engagement across the research‐policy‐practice interface : Maintain connections between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, to facilitate evaluation of conservation actions and follow‐up studies; also see Cook et al (2021); Lundmark et al (2019); Thompson et al (2023).…”

Journeying towards best practice data management in biodiversity genomics

“…Furthermore, these information-rich biodiversity datasets have immense reuse value that can only be realised if the data-generating researchers/institutions undertake careful data management (Toczydlowski et al, 2021;Crandall et al, 2023). These secondary use cases may diverge from the original purpose of data generation (Hoban et al, 2022;Leigh et al, 2021), and can provide additional valuable insights (e.g., Crandall et al, 2019), enhancing the value of these data to the research community and their potential impacts on society (e.g., Beninde et al, 2022;Exposito-Alonso et al, 2022).…”

“…The incentives to implement data management practices are clear, and although there exists Conceptual guidance on best practices within the broader scientific community (e.g., the FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship, Wilkinson et al, 2016;and the CARE Principles for Indigenous data governance, Carroll et al, 2020Carroll et al, , 2021Jennings et al 2023), implementation remains challenging (Box 2). Contributing factors include the sheer volume of these information-rich datasets and the associated resource requirements (i.e., the time and financial costs of data curation, maintenance, and processing; Batley & Edwards, 2009;Chiang et al, 2011;Grigoriev et al, 2012;Schadt et al, 2010), as well as the inability of existing data standards, infrastructures, and repositories to keep pace with the needs of this research community (e.g., Crandall et al, 2023;Liggins et al, 2021). Best practices for biodiversity genomic data management are an active area of discussion among the biodiversity genomics community Fadlelmola et al, 2021;Field et al, 2008;Liggins et al, 2021;Yilmaz et al, 2011).…”