The biodiversity of Great Britain and Ireland is probably the most well-studied of any geographical area of comparable size anywhere in the world. This work has resulted in the publication of distribution atlases for many taxonomic groups. This page lists these publications.
A full atlas is generally regarded as a definitive work on distribution, whereas a provisional atlas is typically produced as an interim stage to show survey progress.
One of the bodies responsible for publishing a great number of distribution atlases is the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. Each atlas presents 10 km² distribution maps for the species within its scope. Maps typically use different symbols to signify records from differing time-periods - solid symbols for 10-km squares (hectads) that have recent records, and unfilled symbols for 10-km squares for which only older records exist, according to a defined cut-off date.
The atlases are produced by the Biological Records Centre (BRC), which is run by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, part of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, formerly based at Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdonshire, England, but now based at CEH Wallingford, Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire. The data used to produce the maps is gathered by volunteer biological recorders and collated by the BRC Recording Schemes.
The atlases fall into two groups:
Contents |
Taxonomic group | Publication details | Body responsible for survey co-ordination | Full or provisional | Date range for survey data |
Algae |
|
ITE | ||
Mosses and Liverworts | ||||
Fungi | ||||
Slime-moulds |
|
ITE | ||
Pteridophytes (Ferns and alies) |
|
BSBI | Full | TBC |
Flowering plants and conifers |
|
BSBI | Full | TBC |
Taxonomic group | Taxonomic sub-group | Publication details | Body responsible for survey co-ordination | Full or provisional | Date range for survey data |
Amphibians | See Herpetofauna below | ||||
Birds | Sharrock, J. T. R. (John Timothy Robin) (1976). The atlas of breeding birds in Britain and Ireland. Tring :: British Trust for Ornithology,. pp. 477p : ill., maps ; 27 cm.. ISBN 0903793016. | BTO | Full | TBC | |
Lack, Peter (1986). The Atlas of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland. Calton, Staffordshire :: Published by T. & A.D. Poyser [for] British Trust for Ornithology, Irish Wildbird Conservancy,. pp. 447 p. : ill. ; 27 cm.. ISBN 0856610437. | BTO | Full | TBC | ||
Wernham, Chris (2002). The migration atlas movements of birds of Britain and Ireland. London :: T. & A. D. Poyser,. pp. 884 p.. ISBN 0713665149. | BTO | Full | TBC | ||
Centipedes |
|
ITE | |||
Herpetofauna |
|
ITE | Full | TBC | |
Annelids | Leechs |
|
ITE | ||
Arachnida | Harvest-spiders |
|
ITE | ||
Spiders |
|
ITE | |||
Insects | Beetles |
|
ITE | ||
Bugs |
|
ITE | |||
Butterflies |
|
Butterfly Conservation
ITE |
Full | 2000–2004 | |
Caddissflies |
|
ITE | |||
Dragonflies & damselflies |
|
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology | Full | TBC | |
Earwigs | See Grasshoppers, crickets & allies below | ||||
Fleas |
|
ITE | |||
True flies |
|
ITE | |||
Grasshoppers, crickets & allies |
|
ITE | Full | TBC | |
Hymenoptera |
|
ITE | |||
Lacewings and allies, |
|
ITE | |||
Mammals |
|
ITE | Full | TBC | |
Millipedes |
|
ITE | |||
Nematodes |
|
ITE | |||
Reptiles | See Herpetofauna above | ||||
Ticks |
|
ITE |