2 research outputs found
An atlas of seabed biodiversity for Aotearoa New Zealand
\ua9 2023 Copernicus GmbH. All rights reserved. The waters of Aotearoa New Zealand span over 4.2ĝ€\uafmillionĝ€\uafkm2 of the South Pacific Ocean and harbour a rich diversity of seafloor-Associated taxa. Due to the immensity and remoteness of the area, there are significant gaps in the availability of data that can be used to quantify and map the distribution of seafloor and demersal biodiversity, limiting effective management. In this study, we describe the development and accessibility of an online atlas of seabed biodiversity that aims to fill these gaps. Species distribution models were developed for 579 taxa across four taxonomic groups: demersal fish, reef fish, subtidal invertebrates and macroalgae. Spatial layers for taxa distribution based on habitat suitability were statistically validated and then, as a further check, evaluated by taxonomic experts to provide measures of confidence to guide the future use of these layers. Spatially explicit uncertainty (SD) layers were also developed for each taxon distribution. We generated layer-specific metadata, including statistical and expert evaluation scores, which were uploaded alongside the accompanying spatial layers to the open access database Zenodo. This database provides the most comprehensive source of information on the distribution of seafloor taxa for Aotearoa New Zealand and is thus a valuable resource for managers, researchers and the public that will guide the management and conservation of seafloor communities. The atlas of seabed biodiversity for Aotearoa New Zealand is freely accessible via the open-Access database Zenodo under 10.5281/zenodo.7083642 (Stephenson et al., 2022)
An atlas of seabed biodiversity for Aotearoa New Zealand
The waters of Aotearoa New Zealand span over 4.2 million km2 of the
South Pacific Ocean and harbour a rich diversity of seafloor-associated
taxa. Due to the immensity and remoteness of the area, there are significant
gaps in the availability of data that can be used to quantify and map the distribution of
seafloor and demersal biodiversity, limiting effective management. In this
study, we describe the development and accessibility of an online atlas of
seabed biodiversity that aims to fill these gaps. Species distribution
models were developed for 579 taxa across four taxonomic groups: demersal
fish, reef fish, subtidal invertebrates and macroalgae. Spatial layers for
taxa distribution based on habitat suitability were statistically validated
and then, as a further check, evaluated by taxonomic experts to provide
measures of confidence to guide the future use of these layers. Spatially
explicit uncertainty (SD) layers were also developed for each taxon
distribution. We generated layer-specific metadata, including statistical
and expert evaluation scores, which were uploaded alongside the accompanying
spatial layers to the open access database Zenodo. This database provides
the most comprehensive source of information on the distribution of seafloor
taxa for Aotearoa New Zealand and is thus a valuable resource for
managers, researchers and the public that will guide the management and
conservation of seafloor communities. The atlas of seabed biodiversity for Aotearoa New Zealand is freely accessible via the open-access database Zenodo under
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7083642 (Stephenson et
al., 2022).</p