Atlases of the flora and fauna of Britain and Ireland facts for kids
The UK and Ireland are amazing places when it comes to nature! Scientists have studied the plants and animals here a lot. They've created special books called biodiversity atlases that show where different species live. These atlases are like treasure maps for nature, helping us understand and protect our wildlife.
A full atlas is a complete and detailed book about where a species lives. A provisional atlas is like an early draft, showing how much progress has been made in surveying a species.
One of the main groups that publishes these atlases is the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. Each atlas has maps that show where species are found in 10-kilometer squares. The maps use different symbols: a solid symbol means the species has been seen recently in that square, while an empty symbol means it was seen a long time ago. This helps us see if a species is still living in an area or if it has moved.
The information for these maps comes from the Biological Records Centre (BRC). This center is part of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. The cool thing is that most of the data is collected by everyday people who love nature and volunteer their time to record what they see!
There are two main types of atlases:
- Main Atlases are like big, important books. They show everything we know about where a species lives, especially for groups that have been studied for a long time. They often include details about the species and how their numbers might be changing.
- Provisional Atlases are like progress reports. They show early results and help volunteers see how their work is going. Some of these provisional atlases can be very detailed, even including charts that show when insects like hoverflies are active, or guides to help identify aquatic bugs.
Flora (Plants)
Flora means all the plants in a certain area. These atlases help us understand where different plants grow across the UK and Ireland.
| Plant Group | Publication Details | Who Coordinated the Survey | Type of Atlas | Survey Dates |
| Algae | *Norton, T.A. 1985 Provisional atlas of the marine algae of Britain and Ireland | ITE | Provisional | |
| Ferns and their relatives | *Preston C. D., Pearman D. A. and Dines T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British & Irish Flora, Oxford University Press (ISBN 0-19-851067-5) | BSBI | Full | TBC |
| Flowering Plants and Conifers | *Preston C. D., Pearman D. A. and Dines T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British & Irish Flora, Oxford University Press (ISBN 0-19-851067-5) | BSBI | Full | TBC |
Fauna (Animals)
Fauna means all the animals in a certain area. These atlases help us track where different animals live, from tiny insects to large mammals.
| Animal Group | Sub-group | Publication Details | Who Coordinated the Survey | Type of Atlas | Survey Dates |
| Amphibians | See Herpetofauna below | ||||
| Birds | BTO | Full | TBC | ||
| Centipedes | *Barber, A.D. & A.N. New 1988 Provisional Atlas of the Centipedes of the British Isles | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Herpetofauna (Reptiles & Amphibians) | *Arnold, H. R. (1995) Atlas of amphibians and reptiles in Britain HMSO (ISBN 0-11-701824-4) | ITE | Full | TBC | |
| Annelids | Leeches | *Elliott, J.M. & Tullett, P.A. 1982. Provisional atlas of the freshwater leeches of the British Isles. | ITE | Provisional | |
| Arachnids (Spiders & relatives) | Harvest-spiders | *Sankey, J.H.P. 1988 Provisional atlas of the harvest-spiders (Arachnida: Opiliones) of the British Isles | ITE | Provisional | |
| Spiders | *Harvey, P.R., Nellist, D.R. & Telfer, M.G. (editors) 2002. Provisional atlas of British spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) 2 vols. | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Insects | Beetles | *Luff, Martin L. 1998 Provisional Atlas of the Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of Britain
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ITE | Provisional | |
| Bugs | *Huxley, T. 2003. Provisional atlas of the British aquatic bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera). | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Butterflies | *Fox, R., Asher, J., Brereton, T., Roy, D. and Warren, M (2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland , Pisces Publications (ISBN 1-874357-31-5) | Butterfly Conservation | Full | 2000–2004 | |
| Caddisflies | *Marshall, J.E. 1978 Provisional atlas of the insects of the British Isles: Part 8, Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae, caddisflies | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Dragonflies & Damselflies | *Merritt, R., N. W. Moore and B. C. Eversham (1996) Atlas of the dragonflies of Britain and Ireland, HMSO (ISBN 0-11-701561-X) | Institute of Terrestrial Ecology | Full | TBC | |
| True Flies | *Ball, S.G. & Morris, R.K.A. 2000 Provisional atlas of British hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae). | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Grasshoppers, Crickets & allies | *Haes, E. C. M. and P. T. Harding (1997) Atlas of grasshoppers, crickets and allied insects in Britain and Ireland, HMSO (ISBN 0-11-702117-2) | ITE | Full | TBC | |
| Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, Ants) | *Anon. 1980 Atlas of the bumblebees of the British Isles | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Lacewings and allies | *Plant, Colin W. 1999 Provisional Atlas of the lacewings and allied insects (Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Rhaphidioptera and Mecoptera) of Britain and Ireland | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Mammals | *Arnold, H. R. (1993) Atlas of mammals in Britain HMSO (ISBN 0-11-701667-5) | ITE | Full | TBC | |
| Millipedes | *British Myriapod Group, 1988. Preliminary atlas of the millipedes of the British Isles | ITE | Provisional | ||
| Reptiles | See Herpetofauna above | ||||
| Ticks | *Martyn, K. P. Martyn, K. P. 1998 Provisional Atlas of the ticks (Ixoidea) of British Isles | ITE | Provisional | ||
