Abstract
Island systems are known to harbor disproportionate amounts of geographically restricted biodiversity and to experience high rates of species loss, and they ultimately represent critical systems with significant conservation values. However, knowledge of the biodiversity value of insular systems remains highly fragmented and incomplete for many groups of organisms, especially insects. This gap limits our understanding of their global significance for biodiversity and inhibits prioritization for future exploration and conservation efforts. Here, we developed a new database to present current knowledge on ants on 2678 islands globally, based on nominal species, and provide information on their native or exotic status. In total, this database contains 7010 ant species (44.6% of the known global ant fauna) that have been recorded on islands globally from 449,232 records. In addition, this database identifies 108 large islands (area > 200 km2 ) that have received no ant sampling efforts globally. This new data set provides the most comprehensive understanding of ant diversity and composition on islands globally, opening up new opportunities to address questions on a multitude of research questions and fields related to biogeography, ecology, and evolution. This data set also provides a roadmap for future exploration and conservation actions in connection with ants on islands as well as overall ant diversity, with updates available as new records and taxonomic updates are published. There are no copyright restrictions on this database and users should cite this data paper in publications when using the data.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
