New database gives a clearer picture of Greenland’s plant life

Yet one of the most significant results of his PhD did not come from the field, but from bringing together records collected over time.  

For centuries, plants collected in Greenland have been preserved in museums and plant collections around the world. Together, these collections contain a large historical record of Greenland’s biodiversity, but the information has remained fragmented and plant names and classification systems have changed over time. 

To address this, Brandon and his colleagues gathered more than 177,000 records of Greenlandic plants from the international biodiversity database GBIF, which brings together records worldwide. The researchers reviewed, standardized and combined the records into a single dataset of Greenland’s plant diversity. 

“Plant collections contain an enormous amount of knowledge about biodiversity collected over centuries. By bringing these records together, we can create a much clearer picture of Greenland’s plant diversity and how it has changed through time,” he says.

753 plant species in Greenland 

After cleaning and standardizing the data, the researchers identified 753 vascular plant species in Greenland. Vascular plants include flowering plants, conifers, and ferns. 

That is considerably more than several previous overviews of the Greenlandic flora. One of the most comprehensive earlier species lists included 532 vascular plant species. 

“Climate change is happening now in the Arctic. If we want to understand how biodiversity is responding, we first need reliable information about what species are present and where they occur,” – Researcher, Brandon Samuel Whitley. 

The increase does not necessarily mean that hundreds of new plant species have recently been discovered in Greenland. Instead, the larger number reflects that records have now been brought together in a single dataset, providing the most complete overview of Greenland’s flora to date. 

“We expected to find more species because we were bringing together the largest collection of plant records ever assembled for Greenland, but it was still exciting to see how much additional biodiversity became visible when all the information was standardized and consolidated,” Brandon says. 

Because the database contains information about both where and when plants have been recorded, it can also be used to study changes in Greenland’s flora over time. 

One example is the lupin, which has spread to several parts of the country in recent decades. 

“In our database, we have some of the earliest official recordings of its presence,” Brandon says. 

Long-term records allow researchers to compare present-day observations with historical data and understand how plants change as the climate warms. 

“Climate change is happening now in the Arctic. If we want to understand how biodiversity is responding, we first need reliable information about what species are present and where they occur,” Brandon says. 

A resource beyond research 

The database was developed as a research resource, but Brandon believes it could become useful outside academia. 

Municipalities could, for example, use the database when planning new roads, harbors or tourism projects. If rare plants have previously been recorded in an area, planners could take that information into account before work begins.  

For Brandon, the educational potential is equally important. He believes the database could help schools, families and nature enthusiasts learn more about the plants growing in their own surroundings. 

Students might use it to discover which species have been recorded near their town and compare their own observations with records collected over many years. 

“A vast amount of these records come from researchers, locals, and botanical enthusiasts photographing and identifying plants in the field. This dataset is an example of how impactful collecting can be,” Brandon says. 

He hopes the database will encourage more people to take an interest in the plants around them and show how seemingly small observations can contribute to a much larger understanding of Greenland’s biodiversity. 

Knowledge gathered in one place 

For Brandon, one of the most important outcomes is that knowledge about Greenland’s plants is becoming easier to access in Greenland itself. 

Over generations, plant specimens collected in Greenland have become dispersed across museums, plant collections, and research institutions around the world. By bringing those records together into a single carefully reviewed, open-access digital resource, the project makes it possible to search the information in one place. 

“This is a major step towards making Greenland’s botanical knowledge more accessible. It helps ensure that data about Greenland’s biodiversity can be used locally for research, education, conservation and decision-making”, Brandon says. 

The database will continue to grow 

Brandon hopes future versions of the database will become easier for non-specialists to use and that the species list will continue to be refined through collaboration with Arctic plant experts. 

One longer-term ambition is to connect the database with existing work on Kalaallisut plant names.  

Several Greenlandic institutions, including the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, have already compiled Kalaallisut names for many plant species. Brandon hopes future versions of the database can build on that work, but stresses that any such effort should be developed carefully and collaboratively with relevant Greenlandic partners. 

“It would be amazing if this work helps more people discover and connect with Greenland’s flora. Linking scientific and Kalaallisut plant names is something I hope to contribute to in the future, but it is important that it is done thoughtfully and in collaboration with the people and organizations already working on it,” he says. 

Historical records become new research 

The new species database is now freely available online and provides a common resource for researchers studying Greenland’s biodiversity. 

The species list is also being used in Brandon’s next research project, where DNA is used to identify Greenland’s flowering plants and study how they interact with pollinating insects. 

The project shows another side of scientific discovery: new knowledge can also emerge by bringing together and checking observations collected by many people over long periods of time.