Extracting and evaluating plant trait information from digital text in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility

ABSTRACT Premise of the study Plant traits are closely associated with species functions and environmental responses, and their compilation is particularly essential for large-scale studies. Although several databases of plant trait information have been published, comprehensive information on plant traits is lacking. To address this issue, additional easy-to-use data sources are required. This study examined digital text from descriptions of occurrences in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) as a novel source of plant trait information and evaluated its potential to mitigate existing gaps. Methods We focused on the digital text available from descriptions of occurrences in GBIF as a novel source of plant trait information. We collected information on life span, growth form, and maximum plant height for vascular plants from GBIF and other common trait databases. Using the resultant dataset, we compared the reliability (i.e., congruence of trait values in the focal database with that of the representative database) of trait values in GBIF with those from other databases and evaluated their novelty. Key results The trait information extracted from the GBIF exhibited reliability comparable to that of common plant trait databases. Additionally, the number of species with trait values increased 1.2–2.7 times when incorporating species data obtained solely from the GBIF with those from other databases. Conclusions Although digital texts in GBIF have not been previously used as a source of plant trait information, the results indicate that GBIF may be a valuable source of plant trait information.