Quantifying Antarctic marine biodiversity using SCAR-MarBIN

Bruno Danis, Hendrik Segers, Claude De Broyer, Huw GriffithsBelgian Biodiversity Platform, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, British Antarctic Survey

• Highly adapted to extreme environment

• High level of endemism

• Mostly marine

• Estimations: possibly 20.000 species

• Under-studied (especially the deep-sea)

• Probably very sensitive to CC

Antarctic biodiversity

SCAR-MarBIN

• Funding: Belgian science Policy office

• International Polar Year 2007/08

• Census of Antarctic Marine Life

• Ocean Biogeographic Information System

• Global Biodiversity Information Network

Marine Biodiversity Information Network

• Build a network

• Offer free and open access to data and technology

• Expose all the (biodiversity) data and metadata

• Remain community-driven

• Adopt strong standardization

• Work for science, conservation, management

Philosophy

Riddle, M. Australian Antarctic Division

Tangible results

all taxa

all species

valid species

0 3.750 7.500 11.250 15.000

• The first RAMS

• Board of 60 editors

• Feeds WoRMS, CoL and EoL

• 16,176 taxa

• 9,234 species

www.scarmarbin.be

Tangible results

1.000.000+ records130 datasets5,200+ taxa

DownloadableWebGIS

Webservices

www.scarmarbin.be

Synthesizing knowledge

• RAMS: information on 16,000 taxa

• ANTOBIS: 1,000,000+ records

• Polar Macroscope Synthesis team

• Injection into conservation processes

• New insights in biogeography

• New insights in ecological processes

Identifying gaps

Griffiths HJ, British Antarctic Survey

Identifying gaps

Over 50% of samples taken in waters shallower than 400m

Similar trend for recorded benthic species

Most of the Southern Ocean is abyssal

Griffiths HJ, Clarke A, Danis B, submitted

Identifying gaps

2,8 isopod species are descibed every year

600+ were discovered during ANDEEP

We will need 214 years to describe them!

De Broyer C & Danis B, submitted

Promoting new initiatives

• Digitization grants systems: 12 initiatives funded

• Antarctic Field Guides

• Georeferenced genetic data

• Barcoding: CAML offering free barcoding

• ArcOD: Arctic Ocean Diversity Rose A. DZMB

Building bridges

• Across disciplines

• molecular & biogeography

• environmental parameters

• Across nations

• contributors: 13 countries

• users: 100+ countries

Perspectives

• Consolidation of the SCAR community

• Testing S.O. biogeography/ecological concepts/theories

• Data-driven, adaptative conservation and management

• ANTA’BIF: Antarctic Biodiversity Information Facility

• Huw Griffiths on biodiversity patterns in session S22 tomorrow morning

Rose A. DZMB

Thanks for your attention

Strugnell J. British Antarctic Survey