Accelerating ocean species discovery and laying the foundations for the future of marine biodiversity research and monitoring
Type | Article | ||||||||||||
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Date | 2023-09 | ||||||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||||||
Author(s) | Rogers Alex David1, 2, Appiah-Madson Hannah3, Ardron Jeff A.4, 5, Bax Nicholas J.6, Bhadury Punyasloke7, Brandt Angelika8, Buttigieg Pier-Luigi9, 10, de Clerck Olivier11, Delgado Claudia12, Distel Daniel L.3, Glover Adrian13, Gobin Judith14, Guilhon Maila15, Hampton Shannon16, Harden-Davies Harriet17, Hebert Paul18, Hynes Lisa2, Lowe Miranda13, Macintyre Sandy2, Madduppa Hawis19, de Azevedo Mazzuco Ana Carolina20, McCallum Anna21, McOwen Chris22, Nattkemper Tim Wilhelm23, Odido Mika24, O’hara Tim21, Osborn Karen25, 26, Pouponneau Angelique27, Provoost Pieter28, Rabone Muriel13, Ramirez-Llodra Eva1, 2, Scott Lucy29, Sink Kerry Jennifer30, Turk Daniela22, Watanabe Hiromi Kayama31, Weatherdon Lauren V.22, Wernberg Thomas32, Williams Suzanne, Woodall Lucy2, 33, 34, Wright Dawn J.35, Zeppilli Daniela36, Steeds Oliver2 | ||||||||||||
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Research Expedition Vessel (REV) Ocean, Lysaker, Norway 2 : Nekton Foundation, Begbroke Science Park, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom 3 : Ocean Genome Legacy, Northeastern University Marine Science Center, Nahant, MA, United States 4 : Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, London, United Kingdom 5 : Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom 6 : National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub, Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, TAS, Australia 7 : Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education And Research, Kolkata, India 8 : Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main and Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany 9 : Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany 10 : Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany 11 : Phycology Research Group and Center for Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium 12 : Marine Biology Research Group, Universiteit Gent, Gent, Belgium 13 : Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom 14 : Department of Life Sciences, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago 15 : Laboratório de Manejo, Ecologia e Conservação Marinha, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 16 : RIFS Potsdam, Research Institute for Sustainability, Potsdam, Germany 17 : Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia 18 : Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada 19 : Department of Marine Science and Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia 20 : Department of Oceanography, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória-Espírito Santo, Brazil 21 : Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia 22 : United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, United Kingdom 23 : Biodata Mining Group, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany 24 : Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Sub Commission for Africa & The Adjacent Island States (IOCAFRICA), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya 25 : Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, United States 26 : Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, United States 27 : SeyCCAT, Seychelles’ Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust, Victoria, Seychelles 28 : Ocean Biodiversity Information System, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), IOC Project Office for International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE), Oostende, Belgium 29 : Ocean InfoHub, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) IOC Project Office for International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE), Oostende, Belgium 30 : South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa 31 : X-Star, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan 32 : University of Western Australia, Oceans Institute & School of Biological Sciences, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia 33 : Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom 34 : Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom 35 : Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA, United States 36 : Département Ressources Physiques et Écosystèmes de Fond de Mer, Ifremer, Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France |
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Source | Frontiers In Marine Science (2296-7745) (Frontiers Media SA), 2023-09 , Vol. 10 , P. 1224471 (21p.) | ||||||||||||
DOI | 10.3389/fmars.2023.1224471 | ||||||||||||
Keyword(s) | biodiversity, integrated taxonomy, biodiversity crisis, capacity development, ocean literacy, species discovery, DNA barcoding, cybertaxonomy | ||||||||||||
Abstract | Ocean Census is a new Large-Scale Strategic Science Mission aimed at accelerating the discovery and description of marine species. This mission addresses the knowledge gap of the diversity and distribution of marine life whereby of an estimated 1 million to 2 million species of marine life between 75% to 90% remain undescribed to date. Without improved knowledge of marine biodiversity, tackling the decline and eventual extinction of many marine species will not be possible. The marine biota has evolved over 4 billion years and includes many branches of the tree of life that do not exist on land or in freshwater. Understanding what is in the ocean and where it lives is fundamental science, which is required to understand how the ocean works, the direct and indirect benefits it provides to society and how human impacts can be reduced and managed to ensure marine ecosystems remain healthy. We describe a strategy to accelerate the rate of ocean species discovery by: 1) employing consistent standards for digitisation of species data to broaden access to biodiversity knowledge and enabling cybertaxonomy; 2) establishing new working practices and adopting advanced technologies to accelerate taxonomy; 3) building the capacity of stakeholders to undertake taxonomic and biodiversity research and capacity development, especially targeted at low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) so they can better assess and manage life in their waters and contribute to global biodiversity knowledge; and 4) increasing observational coverage on dedicated expeditions. Ocean Census, is conceived as a global open network of scientists anchored by Biodiversity Centres in developed countries and LMICs. Through a collaborative approach, including co-production of science with LMICs, and by working with funding partners, Ocean Census will focus and grow current efforts to discover ocean life globally, and permanently transform our ability to document, describe and safeguard marine species. |
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