Databases

An unfortunate thing about biological recording is that data are very scattered across many different databases. Here are some of the most useful for finding distribution data for plant pathogens. None is complete, and some specimens in herbaria are not in any database.

For host plants I highly recommend the BSBI's Plant Atlas 2020 for a map and comments on distribution. For the most up-to-date distribution maps (including records post-2019) you can use the BSBI's online maps.

iNaturalist (link)

iNaturalist itself has distribution maps, including all of the records submitted by its users (and no others). Very useful for finding photographs; often the only photograph of a species will be on iNaturalist. “Research Grade” records that the community agrees on are forwarded to GBIF and (as unverified records) to BRC iRecord.

Includes all taxonomic groups across the tree of life.

Plant Parasites of Europe (link)

This is the most important online resource on plant pathogens. It is a directory of hosts and parasites, with tables of recorded pathogens for each host species and genus, and keys for some taxa. It is fairly complete, and the taxonomy is pretty up to date. Altogether an enormous achievement!

Using the tables can be confusing. It is best to filter by what you know about your specimen.

1. First take a look at my guide to major groups of plant pathogens.
2. Go to the page for your host plant species (or genus if you don't know the species).
3. Filter by entering search terms into the box at the top right of the table. If you already know the genus, you can type this in, but often you will only know the broad grouping something belongs to.
• Many hosts have a lot of insect parasites. A helpful search term is !insecta which will remove all of these.
• For downy and powdery mildews, search for down.
• Search for just downy mildews as Peronosporaceae, and just powdery mildews as Erysiphaceae.
• For leaf spot fungi, leaf smuts, white moulds, and others, search leaf spot.
• For rusts, false rusts, and blister smuts, search pustule.
• If you know the stage of a rust, you can search for e.g. aecia.
• For flower smuts, search flower gall.
• For floricolous downy mildews, search flower down.
• For mites, search Acari.
• For flies (including gall midges), search Diptera.
4. You will often find several results, especially for leaf spots. Take a look at the different options, and remember some can only be distinguished by measuring the spores.

Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland (FRDBI) (link)

You need to make an account to access the FRDBI, but it is invaluable as it contains many records that are not to be found anywhere else. The most complete database by far, as many local mycology groups and recorders upload all of their records to it. Records are unverified and generally have no photographs and if you upload them here they will not end up on any other database without you manually submitting them to it.

Note that the FRDBI includes both fungi and oömycetes, despite the name.

BRC iRecord (link)

Anyone with an account can view and submit records to iRecord. They then exist in the database as unverified records, which can be reviewed and verified by designated experts and then passed on to other databases like NBN Atlas. The problem is that for many groups (including most/all plant pathogens) there are no experts to verify records! I don't really use this one but I do check it for records if I am interested in the known distribution of some species. Often people will record the better-known animal galls and rusts here. iRecord now also aggregates “Research Grade” iNaturalist records — I have a few times been surprised by the number of Irish records for something before realising they are my own!

National Biodiversity Network Atlas (NBN) (link)

This is really an aggregator that takes records from other databases but it sometimes has records you won't otherwise find.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (link)

A global records aggregator, including “Research Grade” records from iNaturalist. Good for finding records from outside Britain and Ireland.

Biodiversity Heritage Library (link)

This is a really incredible resource. It includes old publications, for example the journals of learnèd societies, which may have records found nowhere else. This is where I managed to find the one British record of Contarinia dipsacearum which was not on any other database or even known on the checklist of British gall midges.