Standardized vocabulary for categorical variables

One of the goals of Edaphobase is to link soil-organism distribution data with trait and biological data regarding the taxa (or individuals) themselves as well as background information on the sites of occurrence. This allows more detailed biodiversity analyses.

This goal requires standardized vocabularies to allow data comparison from multiple sources. As opposed to free text input ‑ which is heterogeneous by nature and can therefore neither be compared nor be commonly analysed ‑ standardized vocabularies (“authority lists”) are provided for data input in specific information fields for categorical variables. These lists can be supplemented as needed. As a consequence, typing errors are also avoided and data is overall comparable and analysable.

Where possible, existing and established standards or quasi-standards are used. However, in most cases, lists needed to be created as necessitated by the specific organisms, experience of soil biologists or their use in data sources. The entries are either simple lists or hierarchical as required; and they can consist of several attributes (e.g., abbreviations, names or definitions).

As many of these selection lists can be very detailed and long, Edaphobase provides a small program (the “Edaphobase selection list browser”) to search the specific categorical variables, browse the associated selection lists, and even copy-and-paste specific terms into your data sheets. A Zip file of the software can be found here . After downloading the file, unpack the Zip file and follow the instructions in the “read me” file.

In the following, examples are given of such categorical variables and the sources of the lists of standardized vocabularies:

Data Sources

Name Vocabulary Source
Source type Edaphobase list
„Author“ role Edaphobase list
Person type Edaphobase list
Language ISO 639 (Entries from ISO 639-1 given in the format of ISO 639-2 for flexibility)

(Museum) Collection

Name Vocabulary Source
Type form Edaphobase list
Acquisition type Edaphobase list
Preparation type Edaphobase list
Conservation / embedding agent Edaphobase list
Sealing agent Edaphobase list

Systematics

Name Vocabulary Source
Taxonomic rank Edaphobase list
Synonym Edaphobase list, Zoological Nomenclatural Rules

Biology

Name Vocabulary Source
Development stage Edaphobase list
Activity type Edaphobase list
Feeding type Edaphobase list
Reproduction type Edaphobase list
Gender Edaphobase list
Life form Edaphobase list
Dominance class Engelmann (1978)
Many other traits BETSI, EcoTaxonomy, Edaphobase list

Geography/Habitat Information

Name Vocabulary Source
Language ISO 639 (Entries from ISO 639-1 given in the format of ISO
Political region ISO 3166 (ISO 3166 + first level of ISO 3166-2 for all European countries, Brazil and Mexico)
Natural region German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Meynen & Schmithüsen (1953-1962))
Habitat type EUNIS – European Environmental Agency; German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Riecken et al. (2006)
Land-use type CORINE Land Cover (CLC) European Environmental Agency
Regional habitat type Habitat type lists of the German federal states; other lists are also possible, e.g., those of the EU member state
Monitoring site type Edaphobase list
(Anthropogenic) influence Edaphobase list
Microhabitat Edaphobase list
Topographic map German Topographical maps: TK 25-TK 200 of the Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (2011) (www.geodatenzentrum.de); TK 5 und TK 10: compilation Edaphobase
Cardinal direction 16 point division (z.B: SSO = South South East)

Soil

Name Vocabulary Source
Soil texture German „Bodenkundlicher Kartieranleitung“ (5th ed., 2005); WRB (FAO AgroVoc) or EU Inspire vocabularies are currently being implemented
Soil type German „Bodenkundlicher Kartieranleitung“ (5th ed., 2005); WRB (FAO AgroVoc) or EU Inspire vocabularies are currently being implemented
Humus form German „Bodenkundlicher Kartieranleitung“ (5th ed., 2005); WRB (FAO AgroVoc) or EU Inspire vocabularies are currently being implemented
Soil horizont German „Bodenkundlicher Kartieranleitung“ (5th ed., 2005); WRB (FAO AgroVoc) or EU Inspire vocabularies are currently being implemented

Methods

Name Vocabulary Source
Sampling / observation method Edaphobase list, incl. ISO, DIN etc. standards
Extraction method Edaphobase list
Soil-parameter measurement methods Edaphobase list, incl. ISO, DIN etc. standards
Sampling standardization Edaphobase list of ISO, DIN etc. standards