Know Your Coral: New Traits Database to Accelerate Reef Research

A coral is a coral is a coral, right? Not so, as corals are a diverse group of animals with a broad variety of shapes, physiological tolerances, ecological roles, and evolutionary histories. Most importantly, corals serve as foundation species that define the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems. Reefs around the world are currently experiencing dramatic negative effects from local and global stressors that threaten their long-term sustainability. Coral reefs have been studied for over a century but, previously, trait data for coral species was unavailable in a centralized resource. To address this deficiency, our team of international scientists created the Coral Trait Database and recently published a Data Descriptor for it in the journal Nature Scientific Data, "The Coral Trait Database, a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans". The database houses species- and individual-level data from published field and experimental studies alongside contextual data for 56 traits for 1547 species, and presents a collaborative platform on which other trait data are being actively federated. Our overall goal is for the Coral Trait Database to become an open-source, community-led data clearinghouse that accelerates coral reef research.