avian metanetwork
mapping networks of bird-bird species interactions
Species interactions are a crucial aspect of ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, yet we lack complete information on interactions for most taxa at broad scales. The Avian MetaNetwork is a comprehensive database of bird-bird species interactions that attempts to fill this knowledge gap and enable research that answers macroecological and eco-evolutionary questions. The database is built by undergraduates in the SpaCE lab through systematic literature review! Currently, the database is complete for North America (Canada, Alaska and the conterminous United States).
Interaction data is pulled from species accounts (in Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds of the World) and primary literature, and enetered into a standardized spreadsheet. These sheets are concatenated into a single table that contains all of the interaction data for birds in North America! This dataset can be used to create species interaction networks, such as the ones illustrated to the right. In this example, the networks represent the focal species and all of their interacting species.
The preprint for the North American Avian MetaNetwork can be found on biorXiv. Additionally, the dataset can be accessed on EDI. The Avian MetaNetwork is currently being expanded southward into Mexico and Central America as part of an ongoing project in the SpaCE Lab.
