Species360, an organisation that facilitates international collaboration in the collection, sharing and analysis of knowledge on wildlife, has detailed how member data can have a real impact by highlighting a recent project.
Researchers from the Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB), and the University of Southern Denmark used detailed zoo records from the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) to compile data on 133,818 individuals across 244 parrot species.
This allowed them to gain some useful insights, leading the research team to publish a new open-access paper called ‘Coevolution of relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots’ in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The value of data
The first-of-its-kind study found a clear link between the size of a parrot’s brain and its life expectancy. Using the data from Species360’s ZIMS solution, the team was able to estimate life expectancy for 217 different species of parrot, from the fig parrot to the scarlet macaw.
Species360 Conservation Science Alliance guest PhD student Simeon Smeele lead the study, working with co-authors Prof Dalia Conde, Species360 director of science and head of the Conservation Science Alliance, and Dr Johanna Staerk, postdoctoral research associate and member of the Conservation Science Alliance.
The Conservation Science Alliance is a central part of Species360. This organisation works to harness the value of data found in ZIMS, as well as other sources of global data, in order to advance science and aid species conservation.
ZIMS solution is key
Conde says, “Data from the Species360 Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) was crucial in doing this large-scale comparative analysis. This study is particularly unique because it used a larger sample size than previous studies, which was possible due to the vast amount of data in ZIMS that has been shared by Species360 members.
“In addition, the data from ZIMS enabled us to create a robust methodology for comparative life-history analysis.”
Over 1,300 Species360 member institutions regularly collect and curate data on wildlife worldwide, and these efforts make impactful studies such as this one possible. Species360’s ZIMS program is the largest database of animal knowledge globally, providing a wealth of insights into different species around the world.
The main sponsoring partners of the Conservation Science Alliance are Copenhagen Zoo, Mandai Wildlife Group (Singapore), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
