ShareTrait: towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms

Félix P. Leiva; Jacintha Ellers; Matty P. Berg; Raimon Cuxart-Erruz; Diego R. Barneche; Tim M. Blackburn; Luis E. Castañeda; Steven L. Chown; Juan Diego Gaitán-Espitia; Paulina Gebauer; Daniel F. Gomez Isaza; Ian C. W. Hardy; Adam Hermaniuk; Andrew G. Hirst; Sarah Jorissen; Tamar Keasar; Joris M. Koene; Cécile Le Lann; Irene Martorelli; Carlos Molinet; Edwin J. Niklitschek; Brunno F. Oliveira; Brett Olivier; Germán Orizaola; Natalie Pilakouta; K. S. Shameer; Milad Shokri; Robby Stoks; Kevin Tougeron; Cristina Tuni; Iris L. E. van de Pol; Natalie E. van Dis; Bertanne Visser; Joost J. Vogels; Craig White; Nicholas C. Wu; Wilco C. E. P. Verberk

doi:10.1111/1365-2435.70147

ShareTrait: towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms

Félix P. Leiva^*, Jacintha Ellers^*, Matty P. Berg, Raimon Cuxart-Erruz, Diego R. Barneche, Tim M. Blackburn, Luis E. Castañeda, Steven L. Chown, Juan Diego Gaitán-Espitia, Paulina Gebauer, Daniel F. Gomez Isaza, Ian C. W. Hardy, Adam Hermaniuk, Andrew G. Hirst, Sarah Jorissen, Tamar Keasar, Joris M. Koene, Cécile Le Lann, Irene Martorelli, Carlos MolinetEdwin J. Niklitschek, Brunno F. Oliveira, Brett Olivier, Germán Orizaola, Natalie Pilakouta, K. S. Shameer, Milad Shokri, Robby Stoks, Kevin Tougeron, Cristina Tuni, Iris L. E. van de Pol, Natalie E. van Dis, Bertanne Visser, Joost J. Vogels, Craig White, Nicholas C. Wu, Wilco C. E. P. Verberk^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

1. More and more data on species traits are being collected and made openly available. Despite these efforts, effective syntheses of trait data to comprehend how species respond to and affect their environment are hampered by inadequate standards for publishing the data and the associated metadata, which limits the interoperability and reuse of data across studies.
2. We have developed ShareTrait (https://sharetrait.org/), a novel initiative that consolidates individual-level trait data and associated metadata in an interoperable and reusable format, enabling standardised and integrated use. As a proof-of-concept, we initially focus on three core traits of ectotherms: metabolic rate, development time and fecundity. These traits, measurable in almost all animals, are fundamental to an organism’s overall fitness.
3. ShareTrait enables researchers to share their (meta)data with the research community. To date, researchers from diverse fields have contributed 28,692 individual-level data records to ShareTrait. These records originated from 45 datasets and are just the tip of the iceberg of existing data, highlighting the potential of ShareTrait to be a valuable community resource for meta-analyses and comparative approaches.
4. Future directions of ShareTrait will focus on accumulating more records, expanding to cover more traits, including those measurable at the population level, and partnering with journals in relevant fields (ecology, physiology, evolution) to make sharing standardised trait data part of the standard publication process.
5. We envision ShareTrait, along with its digital infrastructure and comprehensive metadata, to be a catalyst for collating trait data across species. ShareTrait can streamline research efforts, minimise duplication and empower researchers to explore patterns and broader ecological, evolutionary and physiological questions among taxa (e.g. via meta-analyses and comparative approaches). This way, ShareTrait will unlock new frontiers in trait-based approaches, enhancing our understanding of species–environment relationships.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3124-3138
Number of pages	15
Journal	Functional Ecology
Volume	39
Issue number	11
Early online date	12 Sept 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70147
Publication status	Published - Nov 2025

Keywords

FAIR principles
Metabolism
Metadata
Metazoans
Ontogeny
Phenotypes
Reproduction
Species traits

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10.1111/1365-2435.70147Licence: CC BY

Leiva-et-al-2025-ShareTrait-Towards-interoperable-and-reusable-FuncEcol-29-3124-CCBY
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Functional Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Final published version, 1.52 MBLicence: CC BY

ShareTrait: a data portal for making trait data interoperable and reusable
Pilakouta, N. (Creator), Zenodo, 2025
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14826294
Dataset

Cite this

Leiva, F. P., Ellers, J., Berg, M. P., Cuxart-Erruz, R., Barneche, D. R., Blackburn, T. M., Castañeda, L. E., Chown, S. L., Gaitán-Espitia, J. D., Gebauer, P., Gomez Isaza, D. F., Hardy, I. C. W., Hermaniuk, A., Hirst, A. G., Jorissen, S., Keasar, T., Koene, J. M., Le Lann, C., Martorelli, I., ... Verberk, W. C. E. P. (2025). ShareTrait: towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms. Functional Ecology, 39(11), 3124-3138. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70147

@article{3f8781d91ea640ebb7da7003034f6ffd,

title = "ShareTrait: towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms",

abstract = "1. More and more data on species traits are being collected and made openly available. Despite these efforts, effective syntheses of trait data to comprehend how species respond to and affect their environment are hampered by inadequate standards for publishing the data and the associated metadata, which limits the interoperability and reuse of data across studies. 2. We have developed ShareTrait (https://sharetrait.org/), a novel initiative that consolidates individual-level trait data and associated metadata in an interoperable and reusable format, enabling standardised and integrated use. As a proof-of-concept, we initially focus on three core traits of ectotherms: metabolic rate, development time and fecundity. These traits, measurable in almost all animals, are fundamental to an organism{\textquoteright}s overall fitness. 3. ShareTrait enables researchers to share their (meta)data with the research community. To date, researchers from diverse fields have contributed 28,692 individual-level data records to ShareTrait. These records originated from 45 datasets and are just the tip of the iceberg of existing data, highlighting the potential of ShareTrait to be a valuable community resource for meta-analyses and comparative approaches. 4. Future directions of ShareTrait will focus on accumulating more records, expanding to cover more traits, including those measurable at the population level, and partnering with journals in relevant fields (ecology, physiology, evolution) to make sharing standardised trait data part of the standard publication process. 5. We envision ShareTrait, along with its digital infrastructure and comprehensive metadata, to be a catalyst for collating trait data across species. ShareTrait can streamline research efforts, minimise duplication and empower researchers to explore patterns and broader ecological, evolutionary and physiological questions among taxa (e.g. via meta-analyses and comparative approaches). This way, ShareTrait will unlock new frontiers in trait-based approaches, enhancing our understanding of species–environment relationships.",

keywords = "FAIR principles, Metabolism, Metadata, Metazoans, Ontogeny, Phenotypes, Reproduction, Species traits",

author = "Leiva, {F{\'e}lix P.} and Jacintha Ellers and Berg, {Matty P.} and Raimon Cuxart-Erruz and Barneche, {Diego R.} and Blackburn, {Tim M.} and Casta{\~n}eda, {Luis E.} and Chown, {Steven L.} and Gait{\'a}n-Espitia, {Juan Diego} and Paulina Gebauer and {Gomez Isaza}, {Daniel F.} and Hardy, {Ian C. W.} and Adam Hermaniuk and Hirst, {Andrew G.} and Sarah Jorissen and Tamar Keasar and Koene, {Joris M.} and {Le Lann}, C{\'e}cile and Irene Martorelli and Carlos Molinet and Niklitschek, {Edwin J.} and Oliveira, {Brunno F.} and Brett Olivier and Germ{\'a}n Orizaola and Natalie Pilakouta and Shameer, {K. S.} and Milad Shokri and Robby Stoks and Kevin Tougeron and Cristina Tuni and {van de Pol}, {Iris L. E.} and {van Dis}, {Natalie E.} and Bertanne Visser and Vogels, {Joost J.} and Craig White and Wu, {Nicholas C.} and Verberk, {Wilco C. E. P.}",

note = "Funding: The ShareTrait project has been supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research through the Open Science programme (OSF 203.001.015; OSF23.1.042). We are grateful for individual research support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO), Israel Science Foundation, Agencia National de Investigation y Desarrollo (ANID), Hudson River Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, National Biodiversity Future Centre and Fonds National de Recherche Scientifique. We acknowledge support by the Open Access publication fund of Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Polar- und Meeresforschung. We also acknowledge Manuel D{\'i}az, Jorge Henr{\'i}quez, Thamara Matamala and Katherine Espinoza for their support during the field campaign associated with one dataset used in this study. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.",

year = "2025",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1111/1365-2435.70147",

language = "English",

volume = "39",

pages = "3124--3138",

journal = "Functional Ecology",

issn = "0269-8463",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "11",

}

Leiva, FP, Ellers, J, Berg, MP, Cuxart-Erruz, R, Barneche, DR, Blackburn, TM, Castañeda, LE, Chown, SL, Gaitán-Espitia, JD, Gebauer, P, Gomez Isaza, DF, Hardy, ICW, Hermaniuk, A, Hirst, AG, Jorissen, S, Keasar, T, Koene, JM, Le Lann, C, Martorelli, I, Molinet, C, Niklitschek, EJ, Oliveira, BF, Olivier, B, Orizaola, G, Pilakouta, N, Shameer, KS, Shokri, M, Stoks, R, Tougeron, K, Tuni, C, van de Pol, ILE, van Dis, NE, Visser, B, Vogels, JJ, White, C, Wu, NC & Verberk, WCEP 2025, 'ShareTrait: towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms', Functional Ecology, vol. 39, no. 11, pp. 3124-3138. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70147

TY - JOUR

T1 - ShareTrait

T2 - towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms

AU - Leiva, Félix P.

AU - Ellers, Jacintha

AU - Berg, Matty P.

AU - Cuxart-Erruz, Raimon

AU - Barneche, Diego R.

AU - Blackburn, Tim M.

AU - Castañeda, Luis E.

AU - Chown, Steven L.

AU - Gaitán-Espitia, Juan Diego

AU - Gebauer, Paulina

AU - Gomez Isaza, Daniel F.

AU - Hardy, Ian C. W.

AU - Hermaniuk, Adam

AU - Hirst, Andrew G.

AU - Jorissen, Sarah

AU - Keasar, Tamar

AU - Koene, Joris M.

AU - Le Lann, Cécile

AU - Martorelli, Irene

AU - Molinet, Carlos

AU - Niklitschek, Edwin J.

AU - Oliveira, Brunno F.

AU - Olivier, Brett

AU - Orizaola, Germán

AU - Pilakouta, Natalie

AU - Shameer, K. S.

AU - Shokri, Milad

AU - Stoks, Robby

AU - Tougeron, Kevin

AU - Tuni, Cristina

AU - van de Pol, Iris L. E.

AU - van Dis, Natalie E.

AU - Visser, Bertanne

AU - Vogels, Joost J.

AU - White, Craig

AU - Wu, Nicholas C.

AU - Verberk, Wilco C. E. P.

N1 - Funding: The ShareTrait project has been supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research through the Open Science programme (OSF 203.001.015; OSF23.1.042). We are grateful for individual research support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO), Israel Science Foundation, Agencia National de Investigation y Desarrollo (ANID), Hudson River Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, National Biodiversity Future Centre and Fonds National de Recherche Scientifique. We acknowledge support by the Open Access publication fund of Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung. We also acknowledge Manuel Díaz, Jorge Henríquez, Thamara Matamala and Katherine Espinoza for their support during the field campaign associated with one dataset used in this study. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

PY - 2025/11

Y1 - 2025/11

N2 - 1. More and more data on species traits are being collected and made openly available. Despite these efforts, effective syntheses of trait data to comprehend how species respond to and affect their environment are hampered by inadequate standards for publishing the data and the associated metadata, which limits the interoperability and reuse of data across studies. 2. We have developed ShareTrait (https://sharetrait.org/), a novel initiative that consolidates individual-level trait data and associated metadata in an interoperable and reusable format, enabling standardised and integrated use. As a proof-of-concept, we initially focus on three core traits of ectotherms: metabolic rate, development time and fecundity. These traits, measurable in almost all animals, are fundamental to an organism’s overall fitness. 3. ShareTrait enables researchers to share their (meta)data with the research community. To date, researchers from diverse fields have contributed 28,692 individual-level data records to ShareTrait. These records originated from 45 datasets and are just the tip of the iceberg of existing data, highlighting the potential of ShareTrait to be a valuable community resource for meta-analyses and comparative approaches. 4. Future directions of ShareTrait will focus on accumulating more records, expanding to cover more traits, including those measurable at the population level, and partnering with journals in relevant fields (ecology, physiology, evolution) to make sharing standardised trait data part of the standard publication process. 5. We envision ShareTrait, along with its digital infrastructure and comprehensive metadata, to be a catalyst for collating trait data across species. ShareTrait can streamline research efforts, minimise duplication and empower researchers to explore patterns and broader ecological, evolutionary and physiological questions among taxa (e.g. via meta-analyses and comparative approaches). This way, ShareTrait will unlock new frontiers in trait-based approaches, enhancing our understanding of species–environment relationships.

AB - 1. More and more data on species traits are being collected and made openly available. Despite these efforts, effective syntheses of trait data to comprehend how species respond to and affect their environment are hampered by inadequate standards for publishing the data and the associated metadata, which limits the interoperability and reuse of data across studies. 2. We have developed ShareTrait (https://sharetrait.org/), a novel initiative that consolidates individual-level trait data and associated metadata in an interoperable and reusable format, enabling standardised and integrated use. As a proof-of-concept, we initially focus on three core traits of ectotherms: metabolic rate, development time and fecundity. These traits, measurable in almost all animals, are fundamental to an organism’s overall fitness. 3. ShareTrait enables researchers to share their (meta)data with the research community. To date, researchers from diverse fields have contributed 28,692 individual-level data records to ShareTrait. These records originated from 45 datasets and are just the tip of the iceberg of existing data, highlighting the potential of ShareTrait to be a valuable community resource for meta-analyses and comparative approaches. 4. Future directions of ShareTrait will focus on accumulating more records, expanding to cover more traits, including those measurable at the population level, and partnering with journals in relevant fields (ecology, physiology, evolution) to make sharing standardised trait data part of the standard publication process. 5. We envision ShareTrait, along with its digital infrastructure and comprehensive metadata, to be a catalyst for collating trait data across species. ShareTrait can streamline research efforts, minimise duplication and empower researchers to explore patterns and broader ecological, evolutionary and physiological questions among taxa (e.g. via meta-analyses and comparative approaches). This way, ShareTrait will unlock new frontiers in trait-based approaches, enhancing our understanding of species–environment relationships.

KW - FAIR principles

KW - Metabolism

KW - Metadata

KW - Metazoans

KW - Ontogeny

KW - Phenotypes

KW - Reproduction

KW - Species traits

U2 - 10.1111/1365-2435.70147

DO - 10.1111/1365-2435.70147

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105015818318

SN - 0269-8463

VL - 39

SP - 3124

EP - 3138

JO - Functional Ecology

JF - Functional Ecology

IS - 11

ER -

ShareTrait: towards interoperable and reusable individual trait-based data in ectotherms

Abstract

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ShareTrait: a data portal for making trait data interoperable and reusable

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