Biodiversity pattern interrelations in ecosystem components: a synthesis from the databases compiled during the MarBEF NoE BioDivMed Workshop, November, 2011, Marseilles, France Arvanitidis C, Faulwetter S, Vandepitte L, Claus S, 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? HOW?
The way forward… Large Projects and initiatives Database Summary Biodiversity Projects Number of Projects: 664 Fully Documented Projects: 664
The way forward… Virtual Biodiversity Research and Access Network for Taxonomy
Virtual Biodiversity Research and Access Network for Taxonomy (ViBRANT) ( Context: to deploy end-to-end e-Infrastructure services and tools, capturing the life cycle of biodiversity research from inception to publication in an open digital environment. User oriented: an approach, enabling multidisciplinary groups to create their own virtual research communities, supporting biodiversity science. Ambition: to change the conventional way taxonomy currently functions and to bring it to the forefront of the biodiversity discipline. The way forward…
Where taxonomy is now from Hobbes’ Internet timeline ( The 1st Internet 4-node ARPAnet The way forward…
...and where we might like to be… from Hobbes’ Internet timeline ( You are here Built of links 1 trillion pages 2 billion users The way forward…
VECTORS: Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors
EMBOS: Development and implementation of a pan-European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System 003r 003r EVAMAP: EVOLUTION AND ADAPTATION OF MARINE POPULATIONS IN A TEMPORALLY AND SPATIALLY VARIABLE ENVIRONMENT The way forward…
Thank you (on behalf of the co-authors) - Join the MedOBIS mailing list - Make your datasets available through the MedOBIS portal