SeagrassTraitDB
SeagrassTraitDB
SeagrassTraitDB is a comprehensive global database of seagrass traits. It compiles and standardizes trait data from seagrass scientists worldwide, integrating diverse datasets into a consistent format.
Seagrass traits encompass morphological, anatomical, biochemical, physiological, and phenological characteristics that can be measured at the individual level, from cellular structures to whole organisms.
The primary objective of SeagrassTraitDB is to centralize and provide access to the global repository of empirical seagrass trait data, facilitating research and collaboration across disciplines.
The activities of SeagrassTraitDB are directed by its Steering Committee, comprising scientists Carmen B. de los Santos and Rui Santos. The committee provides strategic direction for the SeagrassTraitDB development and ensures its alignment with the needs of the scientific community.
The hosting, development, maintenance, and curation of SeagrassTraitDB is managed by Carmen B. de los Santos, João Machado, and Cymon Cox. While these efforts were initiated at the Centre of Marine Sciences of Algarve (CCMAR), the team may have diverse affiliations over time.
SeagrassTraitDB is supported by BioData.pt, the Portuguese distributed infrastructure for biological data, which serves as the Portuguese node of ELIXIR, the European life sciences data initiative.
An individual who directly contributes data to SeagrassTraitDB is referred to as a patron. Patrons may assume various roles: a Data Owner (the original creator or custodian of the data), a Data Representative (acting on behalf of a group or institution), or a Data Compiler (consolidating data from multiple sources). If a patron’s role is unclear, they are temporarily classified as Undefined until further clarification. Patrons must also indicate whether the contributed data will be publicly accessible or remain restricted.
Public data is available for direct download from SeagrassTraitDB without registration.
Individuals wishing to access restricted data from SeagrassTraitDB must be registered and submit a request through the SeagrassTraitDB website, addressed to the data patron. They will be asked to provide a brief description of the data intended purpose, which will help the patron understand the research questions being addressed and enable them to decide whether to accept or decline the request. Patrons may also request to be involved in publications that utilise their contributed data. All patrons whose data are included in the request will be notified by SeagrassTraitDB. The requested data will be made available as soon as possible, subject to the patrons' consent.
In all cases, intellectual property rights for the data remain with the patron. It is the patron's responsibility to address intellectual property rights and authorship agreements within their group of contributors. SeagrassTraitDB will not assume responsibility for any mishandling of data by the patrons.
Any product that involves data obtained from SeagrassTraitDB must cite the references for the public datasets contributed to the database, as well as the standard reference for SeagrassTraitDB itself: de los Santos, C.B., Machado, J., Cox, C., Santos, R. (2025). SeagrassTraitDB - Global Database of Seagrass Traits. http://seagrasses.ccmar.ualg.pt [accessed on: date].
SeagrassTraitDB is an open-source resource dedicated to seagrass trait data. It is freely accessible on its GitHub repository [GitHub TBD].
Any matters not explicitly covered in these guidelines will be addressed by the Steering Committee of SeagrassTraitDB.
At SeagrassTraitDB, we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information when you access, use, and interact with the SeagrassTraitDB platform.
We may collect personal information in the following ways:
Directly from you: When you register for an account or contribute
data, we
collect personal details such as your name, email address, and institutional affiliation.
Directly from you: We may collect information about your use of the
platform,
such
as IP addresses, browser type, pages viewed, and the time spent on the site, through the use of cookies
and
other tracking technologies.
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
To provide, maintain, and improve the
SeagrassTraitDB platform and services.
To ensure the security and functionality of the
platform.
To respond to inquiries, requests, and support
issues.
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your data in
the
following circumstances:
With the developers who assist in the operation and
maintenance of the platform.
If required by law, regulation, or legal process,
or to protect the rights, property, or
safety
of SeagrassTraitDB, its users, or others.
We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
We take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.
You have the right to:
Access the personal information we hold about you.
Request corrections or updates to your personal
information.
Request the deletion of your personal information,
subject to certain legal and operational
requirements.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us here.
The SeagrassTraitDB platform may contain links to external websites. This privacy policy applies only to our platform, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with the updated date. By continuing to use the platform after any changes are made, you accept the updated privacy policy.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this privacy policy, please contact us here.
The datasets are associated with investigations and studies, following the MIAPPE standard. Investigations are research programmes with defined aims. They can exist at various scales (for example, a research project, a doctoral thesis, a peer-reviewed publication, or a single experiment or study). A study comprises a series of trait measurements (one or more) at a specific location. An investigation may contain one or more studies.
Trait names and plant entities are standardized according to the Plant Trait Ontology (TO) and Plant Ontology (PO) when possible. The Trait List contains the Trait ID and Trait Name used in SeagrassTraitDB, the scale (i.e., units) and data type (e.g., float, int, enum, bool, or string) for the reported values, the corresponding Trait ID and Trait Name in the TO, and the corresponding Trait ID and Trait Name in the TRY database. Traits may be point observations (single measurement in an individual) or average observations (average for measurements in multiple individuals). Numerical trait values must be standardized to the appropriate scale (which are given in the "Trait List" ). To include a new trait, patrons must contact SeagrassTraitDB, providing the trait name, scale, and precise definition for consideration. In the present version, 206 traits are listed.
Taxonomic names of seagrasses are resolved using three authoritative species lists: World Register of Marine Species, AlgaBase, and NCBI Taxonomy Database. In the present version, 86 species are listed.