NFI Canopy & Subcanopy Arthropod Communities

DNA metabarcoding data from arthropod samples collected in National Forest Inventory woodland plots across England during 2023/24. The dataset lists species detected per sample, includes read counts, taxonomic classifications, IUCN threat status, and invasive species flags. It was generated by NatureMetrics and is published by the Forestry Commission under the UK Government's Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme.

Use Cases

• Assess forest ecological condition based on arthropod community composition mentioned in the description
• Monitor invasive species presence using the Yes/No invasive status field
• Analyze species distribution patterns across different forest types using the georeferenced sample information
• Study the correlation between arthropod biodiversity and IUCN Red List Threat Status for identified species

Strengths

• Includes IUCN Red List Threat Status and invasive species status for taxonomically resolved species
• Data is georeferenced using a delocalised grid with centroid coordinates and polygon area
• Samples were collected using standardized Lindgren and Malaise traps across England

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

Forestry Commission, data generated by NatureMetrics

Collection Method

DNA metabarcoding of arthropod samples collected with Lindgren (canopy) and Malaise (subcanopy) traps

Time Range

2023/24

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-29 22:10:30.741827; freshness should be verified

Geography

National Forest Inventory woodland plots across England