Grasses from across the world will be documented in a new resource to help researchers understand the biology and threats to these vital species. The JISC-funded project, led by scientists from the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, will see experts from the University’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences produce an online resource called GrassPortal.
Grassportal will provide a single point of access for scientists, researchers and students to a range of grass data. The portal, which is at the forefront of a digital revolution in biodiversity research, will allow any of the 11,000 species to be defined by its geographical range, climate preferences, and evolutionary relationships to other species. It will offer scientists a one-stop-shop for easily accessing and analysing data on an unprecedented scale, and will be particularly useful for researchers in the fields of climate change, conservation biology, and evolutionary biology. Educational case studies and sample datasets in these areas will also be packaged as research-led teaching resources for university and school students.
Grasses play a major role in the global economy and ecosystem. They account for most of our staple food crops and livestock feeds, including rice, barley, wheat, maize, millet and sugarcane. They are the main winners from deforestation, and form grasslands which significantly influence our climate by altering the cycling of carbon and water between the land and air.
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