1. 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…

2. 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

3. MacroBen database: a scientific experiment never attempted so far

4. 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: 221-311

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

6. Question: What divisions?

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

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

9. Results Longhurst’s provinces; benthos nMDS

10. Results Longhurst’s provinces; Δ + benthos

11. Results Longhurst’s provinces; Λ + benthos

12. Results Longhurst’s provinces; Δ + polychaetes

13. Results Longhurst’s provinces; Λ + polychaetes

14. Results Polychaeta across systems

15. Results Faunal groups within Longhurst’s system

16. Results Performance of the groups: the “biogeographic paradox”

17. The LargeNet attempt

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

19. The MANUELA attempt Meiofauna

20. The MANUELA attempt Meiofauna

21. The LargeNet attempt Macrophytes

22. The LargeNet attempt Macrophytes

23. The LargeNet attempt Phytoplankton

24. The LargeNet attempt Phytoplankton

25. Comparisons...... Second-stage MDS Second-stage MDS

26. 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?

27. Comparisons...... Can we face it?

28. The way forward… Virtual Biodiversity Research and Access Network for Taxonomy http://vbrant.eu EMBOS: Development and implementation of a pan-European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System http://www.cost.esf.org/domains_actions/essem/Actions/ES1003

29. The way forward… http://bio.emodnet.eu/portal/http://www.lifewatch.eu VECTORS: Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors http://www.marine-vectors.eu

30. Thank you (on behalf of the co-authors) arvanitidis@hcmr.gr