UMD Researchers Help Develop Open-Source 'Plant Library' | UMD Right Now :: University of Maryland

"Working with an international team of researchers, scientists from the University of Maryland and the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) have co-developed an in-depth database of nearly 600 plant species worldwide, including the threatened and endangered Pitcher's thistle, scrub mint, Lakeside daisy, Godfrey's butterwort, and Spalding's catchfly. Named the COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database, it is currently the world's largest open-access source of demographic information for endangered, native, and introduced plant species.

A scientific paper based on the database was published online in the Journal of Ecology. The database co-developers and paper co-authors include Maile Neel, UMD associate professor within the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources and College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences; Judy Che-Castaldo, SESYNC postdoctoral fellow; and Tara Ruoff, UMD student. 

COMPADRE compiles data from 468 studies conducted around the world. It includes survival and reproduction rates on every stage of a plant's lifecycle, geographic location, and other fundamental demographic information. The comprehensive and open-access repository will enable database users to make comparisons across populations, species, and regions to answer questions at global scales."