A data deficient (DD)
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
is one which has been
categorized by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
(IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of
conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...
to be made. This does not necessarily indicate that the species has not been extensively studied; but it does indicate that little or no information is available on the
abundance
Abundance may refer to:
In science and technology
* Abundance (economics), the opposite of scarcities
* Abundance (ecology), the relative representation of a species in a community
* Abundance (programming language), a Forth-like computer prog ...
and
distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
*Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
* Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...
of the species.
The IUCN recommends that care be taken to avoid classing species as "data deficient" when the absence of records may indicate dangerously low abundance: "If the range of a taxon is suspected to be relatively circumscribed, if a considerable period of time has elapsed since the last record of the taxon, threatened status may well be justified"
["The Categories," in IUCN (1983).] (see also
precautionary principle
The precautionary principle (or precautionary approach) is a broad epistemological, philosophical and legal approach to innovations with potential for causing harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes caut ...
).
See also
*
IUCN Red List data deficient species
On 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 6,702 (5,913 Animalia (1 Annelida, 1,328 Arthropoda, 3,814 Chordata, 149 Cnidaria, 617 Mollusca, 3 Nemertina, 1 Onychophora), 780 Plantae, 9 Protista) data deficient species ...
*
List of data deficient amphibians
*
IUCN Red List data deficient species (Annelida)
On 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 1 data deficient species in the Annelida phylum (Animalia kingdom).
Polychaeta Eunicida Eunicidae
References
* IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The Intern ...
*
List of data deficient arthropods
As of July 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 2875 data deficient arthropod species. 30% of all evaluated arthropod species are listed as data deficient.
The IUCN also lists 17 arthropod subspecies as data def ...
*
List of data deficient birds
As of December 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 52 data deficient avian species. 0.47% of all evaluated avian species are listed as data deficient.
No subpopulations of birds have been evaluated by the IUCN.
...
*
IUCN Red List data deficient species (Cnidaria)
On 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 149 data deficient species in the Cnidaria phylum ( Animalia kingdom).
Anthozoa Actiniaria Edwardsiidae
Scleractinia Acroporidae
Agariciidae
Astrocoeniidae
Caryoph ...
*
List of data deficient fishes
As of September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 3191 data deficient fish species. 21% of all evaluated fish species are listed as data deficient.
The IUCN also lists 12 fish subspecies as data deficient.
Of ...
*
List of data deficient insects
As of July 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 1702 data deficient insect species. 28% of all evaluated insect species are listed as data deficient.
No subpopulations of insects have been evaluated by the IUCN.
...
*
List of data deficient invertebrates
As of July 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 5278 data deficient invertebrate species. 29% of all evaluated invertebrate species are listed as data deficient.
The IUCN also lists 57 invertebrate subspecies as ...
*
List of data deficient mammals
As of September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 783 data deficient Mammalia, mammalian species. 14% of all evaluated mammalian species are listed as data deficient.
The IUCN also lists 30 mammalian subspecie ...
*
List of data deficient molluscs
As of September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 1988 data deficient mollusc species. 27% of all evaluated mollusc species are listed as data deficient.
The IUCN also lists 40 mollusc subspecies as data def ...
*
List of data deficient plants
As of September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 1674 data deficient plant species. 7.6% of all evaluated plant species are listed as data deficient.
The IUCN also lists 18 subspecies and 57 varieties as dat ...
*
List of data deficient reptiles
As of September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 910 data deficient reptile species. 18% of all evaluated reptile species are listed as data deficient.
Of the subpopulations of reptiles evaluated by the IUC ...
References
External links
*
{{Portal bar, Ecology, Biology
IUCN Red List
Biota by conservation status