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"marine biodiversity"
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Cenozoic dynamics of shallow-marine biodiversity in the Western Pacific
Aim: Cenozoic dynamics of large-scale species diversity patterns remain poorly understood, especially for the Western Pacific, in part, because of the paucity of well-dated fossil records from the tropics. This article aims to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of species diversity in the Western Pacific through the Cenozoic, focusing on the tropical Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) biodiversity hotspot. Location: Tropical and north-western Pacific Ocean. Methods: We analysed well-preserved fossil ostracodes from the tropical Western Pacific and combined their diversity data with other published data from the region to reconstruct Cenozoic dynamics of species diversity in the tropical and north-western Pacific Ocean. We fitted generalized additive models to test for differences in richness over time and across geographical regions while accounting for sample-size variation among samples. Results: Low-, mid- and high-latitude regions all show a similar diversity trajectory: diversity is low in the Eocene and Oligocène, increases from the Early Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene but then declines to the present day. Present-day high biodiversity in these regions was established during the Pliocene with a remarkable diversity increase at that time. Latitudinal diversity patterns are relatively flat and never show a simple decline from the tropics to higher latitudes. Main conclusions: Western Pacific Cenozoic ostracodes exhibit a spatiotemporal pattern of species diversity that is inconsistent with the commonly reported and persistent pattern of declining diversity from the tropics to the extratropics. While this inconsistency could be interpreted as evidence that ostracodes are a contrarian clade, Atlantic ostracodes display a standard latitudinal species diversity gradient. Contrasting patterns between oceans suggest an important role for regional factors (e.g. plate tectonics and temporal geomorphological dynamics) in shaping the biodiversity of the Western Pacific.
Journal Article
Evidence gaps and biodiversity threats facing the marine environment of the United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories
Understanding the evidence base and identifying threats to the marine environment is critical to ensure cost-effective management and to identify priorities for future research. The United Kingdom (UK) government is responsible for approximately 2% of the world’s oceans, most of which belongs to its 14 Overseas Territories (UKOTs). Containing biodiversity of global significance, and far in excess of the UK mainland’s domestic species, there has recently been a strong desire from many of the UKOTs, the UK Government, and NGOs to improve marine management in these places. Implementing evidence-based marine policy is, however, challenged by the disparate nature of scientific research in the UKOTs and knowledge gaps about the threats they face. Here, we address these issues by systematically searching for scientific literature which has examined UKOT marine biodiversity and by exploring publicly available spatial threat data. We find that UKOT marine biodiversity has received consistent, but largely low, levels of scientific interest, and there is considerable geographical and subject bias in research effort. Of particular concern is the lack of research focus on management or threats to biodiversity. The extent and intensity of threats vary amongst and within the UKOTs but unsurprisingly, climate change associated threats affect them all and direct human stressors are more prevalent in those with higher human populations. To meet global goals for effective conservation and management, there is an urgent need for additional and continued investment in research and management in the Overseas Territories, particularly those that have been of lesser focus.
Journal Article
Biodiversity of oceans and seas
\"Discusses the variety of living things in the ecosystem an ocean\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
eDNA metabarcoding illuminates species diversity and composition of three phyla (chordata, mollusca and echinodermata) across Indonesian coral reefs
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an evolving tool that can provide broader assessments of marine biodiversity than conventional visual census methods. The outputs of this approach are, therefore, crucial to provide data for conservation priorities and to support fisheries management. We conducted a study using eDNA metabarcoding to understand the distribution of marine biodiversity across Indonesia and to investigate the abundance of three major phyla that comprise a majority of marine biodiversity. In this study, a total of 13,819,634 reads corresponding to 23,252 unique sequences belonging to the phyla Chordata, Mollusca, and Echinodermata were generated from COI amplicons obtained from 92 seawater eDNA samples collected from nine locations and 17 sites. Beta diversity differed significantly across locations (PERMANOVA: p < 0.05) based on Bray–Curtis and Jaccard indices. Taxa of interest were not distributed equally and there were no discernible patterns detected across the sampling area. This might be due to the highly variable percentage of sequenced species between families, preventing robust estimation of species richness. Overall, 45% of reads were identified to species level while 55% were classified as unidentified taxa. Interestingly, the percentage of unidentified taxa was similar between two locations with distinct characteristics representing eastern and western extremities of the sampling region. Despite a relatively poor rate of assignment to species level, our results highlight unprecedented levels of marine biodiversity and strong differences in species composition. This further supports the contention that the eDNA approach is a sensitive method that can provide useful data, in particular to detect changes in species composition. Importantly, this method is clearly advantageous to evaluate marine biodiversity on a large scale and can provide data to support region-wide coral reef management strategies. Knowing species diversity and the degree to which various taxa are distributed is a fundamental for advancing our knowledge of marine ecology and can play an important role in forecasting population dynamics and evolution as well as in refining conservation practices.
Journal Article
Deep-sea biodiversity : pattern and scale
\"Frigid, dark, and energy-deprived, the deep sea was long considered hostile to life. However, new sampling technologies and intense international research efforts in recent decades have revealed a remarkably rich fauna and an astonishing variety of novel habitats. These recent discoveries have changed the way we look at global biodiversity.\" \"In Deep-Sea Biodiversity, Michael Rex and Ron Etter present the first synthesis of patterns and causes of biodiversity in organisms that dwell in the vast sediment ecosystem that blankets the ocean floor. They provide the most comprehensive analysis to date of geographic variation in benthic animal abundance and biomass. The authors document geographic patterns of deep-sea species diversity and integrate potential ecological causes across scales of time and space. They also review the most recent molecular population genetic evidence to describe how and where evolutionary processes have generated the unique deep-sea fauna. Deep-Sea Biodiversity offers a new understanding of marine biodiversity that will be of general interest to ecologists and is crucial to responsible exploitation of natural resources at the deep-sea floor.\"--BOOK JACKET.
Book
Advancing Marine Biological Observations and Data Requirements of the Complementary Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) Frameworks
Measurements of the status and trends of key indicators for the ocean and marine life are required to inform policy and management in the context of growing human uses of marine resources, coastal development, and climate change. Two synergistic efforts identify specific priority variables for monitoring: Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) through the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) from the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON). Both systems support reporting against internationally agreed conventions and treaties. GOOS, established under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), plays a leading role in coordinating global monitoring of the ocean and in the definition of EOVs. GEO BON is a global biodiversity observation network that coordinates observations to enhance management of the world’s biodiversity and promote both the awareness and accounting of ecosystem services. Convergence and agreement between these two efforts are required to streamline existing and new marine observation programs to advance scientific knowledge effectively and to support the sustainable use and management of ocean spaces and resources. In this context, the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), a thematic component of GEO BON, is collaborating with GOOS, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), and the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR) project to ensure that EBVs and EOVs are complementary, representing alternative uses of a common set of scientific measurements. This work is informed by the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), an intergovernmental body of technical experts that helps international coordination on best practices for observing, data management and services, combined with capacity development expertise. Characterizing biodiversity and understanding its drivers will require incorporation of observations from traditional and molecular taxonomy, animal tagging and tracking efforts, ocean biogeochemistry, and ocean observatory initiatives including the deep ocean and seafloor. The partnership between large-scale ocean observing and product distribution initiatives (MBON, OBIS, JCOMM, and GOOS) is an expedited, effective way to support international policy-level assessments (e.g., the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services or IPBES), along with the implementation of international development goals (e.g., the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals).
Journal Article
Discoveries of the Census of marine life : making ocean life count
\"Over the 10-year course of the recently completed Census of Marine Life, a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations has collaborated to improve our understanding of marine biodiversity - past, present, and future. Providing insight into this remarkable project, this book explains the rationale behind the Census and highlights some of its most important and dramatic findings, illustrated with full-color photographs throughout. It explores how new technologies and partnerships have contributed to greater knowledge of marine life, from unknown species and habitats, to migration routes and distribution patterns, and to a better appreciation of how the oceans are changing. Looking to the future, it identifies what needs to be done to close the remaining gaps in our knowledge and provide information that will enable us to better manage resources, conserve diversity, reverse habitat losses, and respond to global climate change\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf
The Amazon Continental Shelf (ACS) stretches for more than 2500 km along the coast of northern Brazil, where it is influenced directly by the discharge of the Amazon River, which deposits enormous quantities of organic matter at its mouth. Despite the extraordinary importance of this region, it is still among the least-studied sectors of the Brazilian coast. The present study, which is based on the data generated by the continuous monitoring conducted by the National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR/ICMBio) and the systematic review of the databases of reference collections, provides the most comprehensive inventory of the marine biodiversity of the ACS compiled up to now. A total of 3286 species were identified, 1247 more than previous studies, including primarily bony fish (28%) microorganisms (15%) and molluscs (14%). Considering the conservation status of the species, 67 of which are threatened at some level according to the list of endangered species in Brazil, mainly cartilaginous fish (40%), bony fish (31%) and seabirds (11%). The results of the present study reveal hotspots of biodiversity, especially near offshore oilfields and fishing grounds, raising concerns about the potential impact of human activity in the region. These findings emphasize the need for systematic ecosystem management combined with continuous monitoring, to mitigate these threats to the biodiversity of the ACS, while also reinforcing the importance of integrating scientific and conservation efforts to protect this unique, but vulnerable biome.
Journal Article