2021, Chamanara, Javad, Gaikwad, Jitendra, Gerlach, Roman, Algergawy, Alsayed, Ostrowski, Andreas, König-Ries, Birgitta

Obtaining fit-to-use data associated with diverse aspects of biodiversity, ecology and environment is challenging since often it is fragmented, sub-optimally managed and available in heterogeneous formats. Recently, with the universal acceptance of the FAIR data principles, the requirements and standards of data publications have changed substantially. Researchers are encouraged to manage the data as per the FAIR data principles and ensure that the raw data, metadata, processed data, software, codes and associated material are securely stored and the data be made available with the completion of the research.

2021, Phillips, Helen R. P., Bach, Elizabeth M., Bartz, Marie L. C., Bennett, Joanne M., Beugnon, Rémy, Briones, Maria J. I., Brown, George G., Ferlian, Olga, Gongalsky, Konstantin B., Guerra, Carlos A., König-Ries, Birgitta, López-Hernández, Danilo, Loss, Scott R., Marichal, Raphael, Matula, Radim, Minamiya, Yukio, Moos, Jan Hendrik, Moreno, Gerardo, Morón-Ríos, Alejandro, Motohiro, Hasegawa, Muys, Bart, Krebs, Julia J., Neirynck, Johan, Norgrove, Lindsey, Novo, Marta, Nuutinen, Visa, Nuzzo, Victoria, Mujeeb Rahman, P., Pansu, Johan, Paudel, Shishir, Pérès, Guénola, Pérez-Camacho, Lorenzo, Orgiazzi, Alberto, Ponge, Jean-François, Prietzel, Jörg, Rapoport, Irina B., Rashid, Muhammad Imtiaz, Rebollo, Salvador, Rodríguez, Miguel Á., Roth, Alexander M., Rousseau, Guillaume X., Rozen, Anna, Sayad, Ehsan, Ramirez, Kelly S., van Schaik, Loes, Scharenbroch, Bryant, Schirrmann, Michael, Schmidt, Olaf, Schröder, Boris, Seeber, Julia, Shashkov, Maxim P., Singh, Jaswinder, Smith, Sandy M., Steinwandter, Michael, Russell, David J., Szlavecz, Katalin, Talavera, José Antonio, Trigo, Dolores, Tsukamoto, Jiro, Uribe-López, Sheila, de Valença, Anne W., Virto, Iñigo, Wackett, Adrian A., Warren, Matthew W., Webster, Emily R., Schwarz, Benjamin, Wehr, Nathaniel H., Whalen, Joann K., Wironen, Michael B., Wolters, Volkmar, Wu, Pengfei, Zenkova, Irina V., Zhang, Weixin, Cameron, Erin K., Eisenhauer, Nico, Wall, Diana H., Brose, Ulrich, Decaëns, Thibaud, Lavelle, Patrick, Loreau, Michel, Mathieu, Jérôme, Mulder, Christian, van der Putten, Wim H., Rillig, Matthias C., Thakur, Madhav P., de Vries, Franciska T., Wardle, David A., Ammer, Christian, Ammer, Sabine, Arai, Miwa, Ayuke, Fredrick O., Baker, Geoff H., Baretta, Dilmar, Barkusky, Dietmar, Beauséjour, Robin, Bedano, Jose C., Birkhofer, Klaus, Blanchart, Eric, Blossey, Bernd, Bolger, Thomas, Bradley, Robert L., Brossard, Michel, Burtis, James C., Capowiez, Yvan, Cavagnaro, Timothy R., Choi, Amy, Clause, Julia, Cluzeau, Daniel, Coors, Anja, Crotty, Felicity V., Crumsey, Jasmine M., Dávalos, Andrea, Cosín, Darío J. Díaz, Dobson, Annise M., Domínguez, Anahí, Duhour, Andrés Esteban, van Eekeren, Nick, Emmerling, Christoph, Falco, Liliana B., Fernández, Rosa, Fonte, Steven J., Fragoso, Carlos, Franco, André L. C., Fusilero, Abegail, Geraskina, Anna P., Gholami, Shaieste, González, Grizelle, Gundale, Michael J., López, Mónica Gutiérrez, Hackenberger, Branimir K., Hackenberger, Davorka K., Hernández, Luis M., Hirth, Jeff R., Hishi, Takuo, Holdsworth, Andrew R., Holmstrup, Martin, Hopfensperger, Kristine N., Lwanga, Esperanza Huerta, Huhta, Veikko, Hurisso, Tunsisa T., Iannone, Basil V., Iordache, Madalina, Irmler, Ulrich, Ivask, Mari, Jesús, Juan B., Johnson-Maynard, Jodi L., Joschko, Monika, Kaneko, Nobuhiro, Kanianska, Radoslava, Keith, Aidan M., Kernecker, Maria L., Koné, Armand W., Kooch, Yahya, Kukkonen, Sanna T., Lalthanzara, H., Lammel, Daniel R., Lebedev, Iurii M., Le Cadre, Edith, Lincoln, Noa K.

Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.