Biodiversity's big wet secret: the global distribution of marine biological records reveals chronic under-exploration of the deep pelagic ocean

Background: Understanding the distribution of marine biodiversity is a crucial first step towards the effective and sustainable management of marine ecosystems. Recent efforts to collate location records from marine surveys enable us to assemble a global picture of recorded marine biodiversity. They also effectively highlight gaps in our knowledge of particular marine regions. In particular, the deep pelagic ocean - the largest biome on Earth - is chronically under-represented in global databases of marine biodiversity. Methodology/Principal Findings: We use data from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System to plot the position in the water column of ca 7 million records of marine species occurrences. Records from relatively shallow waters dominate this global picture of recorded marine biodiversity. In addition, standardising the number of records from regions of the ocean differing in depth reveals that regardless of ocean depth, most records come either from surface waters or the sea bed. Midwater biodiversity is drastically under-represented. Conclusions/Significance: The deep pelagic ocean is the largest habitat by volume on Earth, yet it remains biodiversity's big wet secret, as it is hugely under-represented in global databases of marine biological records. Given both its value in the provision of a range of ecosystem services, and its vulnerability to threats including overfishing and climate change, there is a pressing need to increase our knowledge of Earth's largest ecosystem

Development of an Ageing Technique for the Short-finned Squid (Illex illecebrosus)

A technique has been developed which improves the accuracy andefficiency of ageing squid over previously described methods. The spatial pattern of growth increments is studied using light andscanning electron microscopy techniques. Daily growth increments in statoliths are validated by employing chemical 'time' markers e.g. strontium and tetracycline, and known-agelaboratory-reared animals. Increment formation is suggested to beintrinsically controlled. Increments begin to form immediately after hatching

El censo de la vida marina: objetivos, ámbito y estrategia

The Census of Marine Life aims to assess and explain the changing diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine species from the past to the present, and to project future ocean life. It assembles known historical data back to 1500 in an online Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and has over 1000 scientists from 70 countries using advanced technologies to quantify and discover unknown life in under-explored ocean realms. Over 99% of the 6 million records now in OBIS are from the top 1000m of the water column, so the mid-waters and floor of the open ocean and the polar ice oceans are special targets. Even where the species are known, their distributions and abundance are largely speculative. This report outlines the strategies of COML projects to efficiently reveal the 95% of the biosphere beneath the waves, from microbes to whales. Open access to the OBIS data set will improve capacity to predict future impacts of climate and human activity. The baseline created by 2010 and the calibrated techniques developed will become important tools for monitoring and managing future ocean ecosystems to maintain their capacity to provide crucial services to our blue planet.El programa denominado Censo de la Vida Marina (Census of Marine Life - COML), tiene por objeto evaluar y explicar la diversidad, distribución y abundancia actual de las especies marinas, considerando también lo acontecido con la biodiversidad en el pasado y proyectándose hacia el futuro. Recopila datos históricos desde 1500 años atrás en un Sistema de Información Biogeográfico Oceánico (Ocean Biogeographic Information System - OBIS) y coordina a más de 1000 investigadores de 70 países, quienes utilizando tecnologías avanzadas cuantifican y descubren la vida desconocida de los dominios oceánicos menos explorados. Actualmente, más del 99% de los 6 millones de registros en el OBIS provienen del 25% de las áreas más someras de los océanos de manera que las aguas intermedias y el fondo del océano abierto, y los océanos congelados, constituyen blancos especiales de estudio para COML. Aun cuando las especies sean conocidas, el conocimiento que se tiene de sus distribuciones y abundancias puede todavía ser muy especulativo. Este informe presenta las estrategias de los proyectos del Programa COML para explorar eficientemente el 95% de la biosfera que yace bajo las olas, desde microorganismos hasta ballenas. El acceso abierto a los datos recogidos en OBIS, perfeccionarán la capacidad de predecir los futuros impactos del clima y de la actividad humana sobre la biodiversidad marina, su distribución y abundancia. La línea de base que se creará hacia el año 2010 y las técnicas calibradas que se desarrollen hacia esa fecha, constituirán importantes herramientas para la vigilancia y la gestión de los ecosistemas marinos para mantener su capacidad de proporcionar servicios cruciales a nuestro planeta azu

Cómo censar la vida marina: proyectos de campo en el reino oceánico

COML field projects will extend our understanding of ocean diversity, distribution and abundance from the nearshore to the abyssal plains. In nearshore, coastal and the upper ocean zones where diversity is reasonably well known it will add details about ranges, migrations and population size, but in the deep ocean there are still likely millions of new species to be described. Global coverage with standard, economical protocols is the goal in the shallow zones, but demonstrating and calibrating efficient new technologies in the deeps may be all that is possible in the 10 year life of the program. Representative sampling from such challenging habitats as the continental margins, abyssal plains, seamounts, deep sea vents, ice-covered oceans and kilometers deep mid-waters is planned. There is even a plan to reveal the four billion years of evolution in the microbial oceans, but strong global cooperation, participation and investment will be require to make the these vast hidden realms as well know as the human edges. There is great interest and international teams supporting the COML now and its legacy in Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) will be the foundation of future monitoring and assessment of ocean life.Los proyectos de campo del Programa Censo de la Vida Marina, aumentarán nuestra comprensión de la diversidad en el océano, su distribución y abundancia, desde el litoral hasta las planicies abisales. En las zonas costeras y en las zonas superficiales del océano, donde existe un conocimiento razonable de la diversidad, el programa agregará detalles sobre los rangos de distribución, las migraciones y los tamaños poblacionales, pero en el océano profundo probablemente existen millones de nuevas especies por describir. En las zonas someras la meta es lograr una cobertura global, aplicando protocolos estándares de bajo costo. En las profundidades, sin embargo, en los diez años que durará el programa, las metas son más modestas y se centrarán principalmente en la puesta a punto y calibración de tecnologías innovadoras. Existen planes para muestrear representativamente hábitats tan difíciles de acceso como los márgenes continentales, las planicies abisales, los montes submarinos, los océanos cubiertos de hielos y las aguas intermedias de miles de kilómetros de profundidad. El programa incluye un plan para desvelar los cuatro mil millones de años de evolución de los microorganismos que pueblan los océanos, pero se requerirá la cooperación global, la participación y la inversión de importantes recursos financieros para hacer que estos vastos dominios sean tan bien conocidos como las orillas habitadas del océano. El Programa Censo de la Vida Marina y su herencia constituida por el Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) y la Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) reciben en la acutalidad un gran interés y el apoyo de numerosos grupos internacionales de investigació

Movement patterns of the European squid Loligo vulgaris during the inshore spawning season

In the Western Mediterranean, the European squid Loligo vulgaris is exploited by both commercial and recreational fleets when it spawns in inshore waters. The inshore recreational fishery in the southern waters of Mallorca (Balearic Islands) concentrates within a narrow, well-delineated area and takes place during a very specific period of the day (sunset). Another closely related species, L. reynaudii, displays a daily activity cycle during the spawning season (feeding at night and spawning in the day). Using acoustic tracking telemetry, we tested the hypothesis that L. vulgaris could display a similar daily activity pattern. We conducted 2 tracking experiments during May to July 2010 and December 2010 to March 2011, in which a total of 26 squid were tagged. Our results suggested that L. vulgaris movements differ between day and night. The squid moved within a small area during the daytime but covered a larger area from sunset to sunrise. The probability of detecting squid was greatest between depths of 25 and 30 m. The abundance of egg clutches at this depth range was also greater than at the other sampled depths. The distribution of the recreational fishing effort using line jigging, both in time (at sunset) and in space (in the 20 to 35 m depth range), also supports the 'feeding at night and spawning in the day' hypothesis. © Inter-Research 2012.Peer Reviewe

International and regional organizations involved in “known, unknown, and unknowable” (KUU) workshops; countries and academic institutions engaged.

<p>(*)Before these national committees were established, there was an initial KUU workshop in the South East Asia region with participation from 14 countries and 31 institutions. The intergovernmental organization involved in this event was the IOC¹.</p>1<p>Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and its regional affiliates.</p>2<p>World Wide Fund for Nature and its global affiliates.</p>3<p>International Association for Biological Oceanography and International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Ocean.</p>4<p>Partnership for the Observation of Global Oceans.</p