From biodiversity literature to connected biodiversity knowledge

In 1679, Maria Sibylla Merian published Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung, und sonderbare Blumennahrung, one of the earliest comprehensive studies of insect metamorphosis. Combining careful observation with detailed illustration, she documented insects and their host plants in ways that were remarkable for her time. Nearly 350 years later, her work remains part of the scientific record against which species descriptions and classifications can be traced, demonstrating how historical biodiversity literature continues to inform research today.

The beautifully illustrated title page of Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung, und sonderbare Blumennahrung by Maria Sibylla Merian. Published in 1679, the work is among the earliest comprehensive studies of insect metamorphosis, combining art and science to document insects alongside their host plants. An original edition is preserved in the Library of the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (call number B 877:1). Image: Senckenberg German Entomological Institute Library.

The continued relevance of works such as Merian’s illustrates a simple reality: biodiversity knowledge builds over time. New observations depend on earlier descriptions, classifications, and published records. Access to this accumulated knowledge remains fundamental to biodiversity science – and increasingly important as research becomes more interconnected, data-driven, and global in scope.

This is one reason the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung joined the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) in 2026. By contributing selected materials from its specialized libraries, Senckenberg helps connect historically developed collections to a global knowledge resource for biodiversity research. Among these materials is an original edition of Maria Sibylla Merian’s Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung (1679), preserved in the Library of the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute in Müncheberg. Born in Frankfurt, Merian provides a fitting historical link between Senckenberg’s headquarters and its commitment to making biodiversity knowledge accessible for future research.

The Senckenberg logo featuring illustrations by Maria Sibylla Merian.

For me, this step also builds on a long-standing relationship with BHL. Since 2009, I have worked with BHL’s collections and community, both as a researcher and through my involvement in biodiversity information infrastructures. Over that time, I have seen BHL evolve from a pioneering digitization initiative into an essential component of the biodiversity knowledge ecosystem. Through my work as Vice President of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF), I also see how important access to biodiversity literature remains across the broader taxonomic community. Whether supporting integrative taxonomy, biodiversity knowledge systems, or emerging biodiversity and geobiodiversity data infrastructures, literature continues to provide the evidence base on which this work depends.

Much of that evidence is preserved in specialized research libraries closely linked to scientific collections. At Senckenberg – one of Germany’s largest natural history research institutions – the SGN Libraries reflect this relationship. Distributed across Dresden, Görlitz, Müncheberg, and Weimar, they represent distinct scientific and regional histories, including several sites shaped by long-established research institutions in eastern Germany. Together, they form a system of specialized research libraries covering zoology and entomology, botany, geology, and paleontology. In Müncheberg, the library of the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute is one of the largest entomological research libraries in Europe, holding an extensive corpus of literature that continues to support taxonomic and biodiversity research.

Senckenberg’s contribution to BHL is intentionally focused. BHL already provides remarkably comprehensive coverage of biodiversity literature. Institutions such as Senckenberg contribute specialized resources that complement existing holdings, help close remaining gaps, and strengthen the overall knowledge base. As I noted when announcing Senckenberg’s membership, the goal is not simply to increase the visibility of these collections. By connecting them to an international knowledge infrastructure, they become more systematically usable in a global research context – particularly for taxonomy, where access to historical publications remains essential for the description and classification of species.

Access to biodiversity literature is about more than preserving the past. Historical publications provide baselines that continue to anchor current research. This becomes particularly important in the context of biodiversity loss and environmental change, where researchers increasingly need to combine information across time, disciplines, and sources. When literature remains difficult to access, opportunities for comparison, synthesis, and reuse are lost. The real transformation begins when literature is no longer only read, but can also be connected, queried, and analyzed alongside collections, taxonomic names, and other biodiversity data.

AI-generated network visualization inspired by the plate of Papilio parnassius in Deutschlands Insecten (Parts 1–3) by Georg Wolfgang Franz Panzer. Generated with ChatGPT from the original illustration. Concept and prompt by J. Hoffmann.

Making literature available through BHL therefore supports more than access alone. It also allows publications to be connected across collections and used in ways that were difficult to imagine only a few years ago. Literature is becoming structured data – something that can be searched, analyzed, linked, and combined with other research resources. As biodiversity research becomes more data-driven, the availability of well-described and verifiable literature becomes more critical. It creates new opportunities for text mining, semantic enrichment, machine-assisted analysis, and the integration of knowledge across collections and disciplines.

Reliable literature also provides an important foundation for emerging AI applications by offering curated, citable, and scientifically validated sources. At the Information Center for Entomology at Senckenberg in Müncheberg, where biodiversity literature, archives, and collection information are brought together, this shift is already visible in practice. By connecting library, archive, and collection data and combining Linked Open Data approaches with text mining of legacy literature and archival material, historical resources become easier to discover, interpret, and reuse. What once existed primarily as individual publications increasingly becomes part of a broader, interconnected knowledge environment.

For Senckenberg, participation in BHL also supports the continued development of its decentralized library landscape. Engagement with shared standards and coordinated digitization efforts helps align historically developed systems and improves how materials can be discovered and used.

“Our libraries contain numerous specialized and historically developed collections of great relevance to international research. Their digitization and integration into BHL anchor them within a global research infrastructure and increase their visibility. At the same time, membership provides an important impulse for the strategic development of Senckenberg in the areas of digitization, networking, and international collaboration.”

– Dr. Lutz Kunzmann, Member of the Board of Directors, Senckenberg

Senckenberg’s participation also strengthens the contribution of German institutions within the BHL network by connecting specialized resources and expertise more closely to international efforts.

Works such as those of Maria Sibylla Merian remind us that biodiversity knowledge is cumulative. Preserved in literature, it remains part of an ongoing scientific dialogue that spans centuries. The value of BHL lies not only in preserving this record, but in making it discoverable, connected, and reusable. The closer we come to representing the breadth of biodiversity literature, the stronger the foundation becomes for taxonomy, biodiversity science, and the analytical approaches that increasingly shape future research.

For Senckenberg, joining BHL is therefore more than contributing digitized literature. It is a commitment to strengthening the global knowledge infrastructure on which biodiversity research depends. By connecting specialized collections and contributing to an open biodiversity knowledge infrastructure, we help ensure that biodiversity knowledge remains accessible – not only to today’s researchers, but also to the tools, technologies, and scientific questions of tomorrow.