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In a scientific abstract, I have a sentence like this:

Yet, numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets, across wide taxonomic range, feature transient individuals.

I want to emphasize that there are numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets, and that they all together cover a wide taxonomic range. Not each one of them; each of those data sets is covering only few very specific taxa; but all together they cover the wide taxonomic range. I don't want the expression to be too ambiguous in this direction.

Is this sentence correct and unambiguous, or could it be written better? It shouldn't be much longer since I am very close to the word limit.

EDIT: would this one be better?

Yet, numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets, from a wide taxonomic range, feature transient individuals.

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  • It may well make sense to someone with academic experience in ecology or biology but it doesn't mean much to a non-expert. (Do you need "Yet"? It might be better to use something less ambiguous like "overall" or "nonetheless" if you want something to start the sentence, but that's writing advice not English Language and Usage.)
    – Stuart F
    Commented Oct 2, 2023 at 8:38
  • @StuartF yes, the "Yet" has to be there, it refers to the previous sentence.
    – Tomas
    Commented Oct 2, 2023 at 8:42
  • A good verb for your situation is comprise. Together the datasets comprise a wide taxonomic range, although the range of individual datasets is narrow.
    – TimR
    Commented Oct 2, 2023 at 11:10
  • Either: across a wide taxonomic range OR across wide taxonomic ranges. You need a or s.
    – Lambie
    Commented Oct 2, 2023 at 15:09
  • I like the verb span here. Yet, numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets, together spanning a wide taxonomic range, feature transient individuals.
    – DjinTonic
    Commented Oct 2, 2023 at 15:24

2 Answers 2

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To emphasise that the data sets as a group cover a wide taxonomic range I suggest the use of the word collectively as in "the data sets, collectively, cover a wide taxonomic range". If you wanted also to make clear that some or all of the groups each cover only a narrow range you could write something along the lines of: "Although each individual group covers only a limited taxonomic range all the groups collectively cover a very wide one"

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This is more a Comment , to aid OP.

Deemed unimportant , transient individuals have never being investigated.
Yet , numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets, covering a wide taxonomic range in aggregate , feature transient individuals.
Yet , numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets , which collectively cover a wide taxonomic range , feature transient individuals.
Yet , numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets , collectively covering a wide taxonomic range , feature transient individuals.
Yet , numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets , covering a wide taxonomic range in totality , feature transient individuals.
Yet , numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets , which cumulatively cover a wide taxonomic range , feature transient individuals.
Yet , numerous capture-mark-recapture data sets , cumulatively covering a wide taxonomic range , feature transient individuals.

There are similar alternatives.

To reduce word-count , you could use "CMR = Capture-Mark-Recapture" , through-out the Document.

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  • Thanks! I wanted something less explicit with less words. Up till now, the solution with "from a" (see the EDIT in my question), seems best to me. Regarding the abbreviation, the capture-mark-recapture actually counts as one word as well :-) So I don't use abbreviation since it is also probably better to avoid in Abstract.
    – Tomas
    Commented Oct 2, 2023 at 11:26

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