arakno

arakno retrieves and processes spider nomenclature, distribution, and trait data via an R package interfacing with the World Spider Catalogue (WSC), the World Spider Trait (WST), and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to support taxonomic, biogeographic, and trait-based ecological and evolutionary analyses.

Key Features:

• Integration with WSC, WST, and GBIF: Connects to the World Spider Catalogue (WSC), World Spider Trait (WST), and GBIF to access nomenclature, trait, and occurrence data.
• Species name verification: Checks species names against WSC nomenclature to ensure taxonomic accuracy.
• Distribution data retrieval and mapping: Obtains distribution records from WST and GBIF and supports generation of mapped representations of geographical occurrence.
• Trait data download: Downloads detailed spider trait data from the World Spider Trait database for trait-based analyses.
• Data preparation for analysis: Provides functions to prepare datasets for downstream statistical and comparative analyses.

Scientific Applications:

• Nomenclatural validation: Validates and standardizes spider species names for taxonomic and biodiversity studies.
• Biogeography and distribution modeling: Supplies occurrence and mapped distribution data for biogeographic assessments and habitat analyses.
• Trait-based ecological and evolutionary studies: Enables assembly of trait datasets from WST for ecological, functional, and evolutionary research.
• Statistical and comparative analyses: Produces analysis-ready datasets to support statistical tests and comparative phylogenetic studies.

Methodology:

Implements R functions to query the World Spider Catalogue, World Spider Trait, and GBIF for nomenclature, distribution, and trait data; verify species names against WSC; retrieve and map distribution records; download WST trait data; and prepare datasets for statistical analysis.