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Moderated by Edward Vanden Berghe.
Introduction (M. Kennedy)
In this section of the wiki we will attempt to compile a list of life cycles and life stage for marine taxa. Our objective is to create a standardized vocabulary list of terms that we can associate with our specimens and datasets. The steps that we will follow to achieve this objective are as follows:
Attached below is a list of terms associated with a plankton dataset. Please take a moment or two and have a look at this list. Please add information directly to this list and/or add comments below. The aim of this list at this point is to stimulate discussion.
Would it be useful to create a list showing life cycles of different groups of taxa? In otherwords sort the initial file into taxonomic groups and determine if a) all groups represented and b) if all terms are included?
Example see the attached file larvae1.xls The terms in this file were taken from the following reference - Young, Craig M., Mary A. Sewell, Mary E. Rice (eds) 2002. Atlas of Marine Invertebrate larvae. Academic Press 626 pages.
Vocabulary Table and Content
Perhaps include 2 unknown terms – one where it wasn’t specified and one where the analyst didn’t know what it was. It has been proposed that the vocabulary should include the singular and plural form for each term. The vocabulary should adopt a convention - example for copepod stages use the term C5 instead of copepodite V
SEX (see the new wiki page created for a GENDER vocabulary)
As part of step 6 above, terms related to the sex of an individual or group of specimens should be removed from the life stage term. A separate vocabulary should be created for these attributes. The following list has been proposed by the OBIS community. Please add your comments below or send an email to OBISCanada at dfo-mpo.gc.ca
The sex of a specimen or collected/observed individual(s). The domain should be a controlled set of terms (codes) based on community consensus. Proposed values:
Comment: The Canadian DFO plankton database (BioChem) has an additional term called 'undeterminable' which could be mapped to indeterminate. I read indeterminate to mean that the person identifying the critter couldn't tell but perhaps someone else could. Perhaps undeterminable means that the critter was run over by a steam roller or that whatever part of the body must be present to confirm sex was missing or damaged. Unknown means that you could probably send the original identifier back to look at the sample and they could record this info - it probably just wasn't originally requested/recorded/noted. Once upon a time we raised the question about how to record information on the state of maturity such as immature, gravid or spent female copepods. We decided that the stage would be adult, sex female and the terms immature, gravid and spent would be placed in a modifier field. |
I have just posted BODC's contribution to MEDS_BIOCHEM_BCLIFEHISTORIES1_spry.xls (now updated to version 4). I have added three columns to the original spreadsheet: 1) a column with my comments on Mary's original terms as well as questions about some of the terms; 2) BODC's short names for life stages aligned to Mary's terms when obvious, otherwise grouped at the bottom of the spreadsheet; 3) BODC's definitions of those terms (this is work in progress and not all terms have definitions - hence feedback/suggestions welcome).
For clarity, I'd suggest removing the terms which we all agree are not life stages (we can deal with these separately later if need be).