Biodiversity pattern interrelations in ecosystem components: a synthesis from the databases compiled during the MarBEF NoE World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, 26 – 30 September, 2011, Aberdeen, Scotland Arvanitidis C, Faulwetter S, Vandepitte L, Appeltans W, Vasileiadou A, Chatzigeorgiou G, Chatzinikolaou E, Vanden Berghe E, et al.... … ……… and many other data providers…

Sine qua non Custodians want to have formal agreements before willing to share data Open only to people sharing data in MarBEF Theme 1 Co-authorship is not sufficient Scientists want to be involved in the creative process of hypothesis generation and testing Data policy: DMU for data sharing, or how to involve more datasets and expertise

MacroBen database: a scientific experiment never attempted so far

MacroBen: first results on a pan-european scale Objective: to test the validity of the proposed systems for the division of the European seas, against pre-determined criteria. MarBEF Theme 1 publication (Theme Section): Marine Ecology Progress Series 382:

Question: What divisions? OSPAR (including Mediterranean & Black Seas) Fredj’s regions IHO large areas LMEs Longhurst’s regions ICES (including Mediterranean & Black Seas)

Question: What divisions?

Faunal groups used: Benthos Benthos relaxed Polychaetes Mollusks Echinoderms Crustaceans Sipunculans

Criteria - proximity (multivariate analyses) - randomness (TD funnels) - differentiation (3 rd stage MDS)

Results Longhurst’s provinces; benthos nMDS

Results Longhurst’s provinces; Δ + benthos

Results Longhurst’s provinces; Λ + benthos

Results Longhurst’s provinces; Δ + polychaetes

Results Longhurst’s provinces; Λ + polychaetes

Results Polychaeta across systems

Results Faunal groups within Longhurst’s system

Results Performance of the groups: the “biogeographic paradox”

The LargeNet attempt

Soft macrobethos Rocky macrobenthos Soft polychaeta Meiofauna (MANUELA) Rocky macrophytes Rocky Cromista Phytoplankton Zooplankton

The MANUELA attempt Meiofauna

The MANUELA attempt Meiofauna

The LargeNet attempt Macrophytes

The LargeNet attempt Macrophytes

The LargeNet attempt Phytoplankton

The LargeNet attempt Phytoplankton

Comparisons Second-stage MDS Second-stage MDS

Comparisons Are we on the right path? Are we on the right path? Do we have BIAS in our datasets? Do we have BIAS in our datasets? WHAT bias? WHAT bias?

Comparisons Can we face it?

The way forward… Virtual Biodiversity Research and Access Network for Taxonomy EMBOS: Development and implementation of a pan-European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System

The way forward… VECTORS: Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors

Thank you (on behalf of the co-authors)