Download OBIS Report - Census of Marine Life Secretariat

CeDAMar
Pedro Martinez Arbizu
DZMB, Südstrand 44, D26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Phone: +49(0)4421.9475-100 FAX: +49(0)4421.9475-111 E-mail: [email protected]
Craig Smith
University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2500 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Phone: (808) 956-7776 FAX: (808) 956-9516 E-mail: [email protected]
Stefanie Keller
DZMB, Südstrand 44, D26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Phone: +49(0) 4421.9475-171 FAX: +49(0)4421.9475-111 E-mail: [email protected]
Brigitte Ebbe
DZMB c/o Museum König, Adenaueralleee 160, D53113 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49(0)228.9122-285 E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.cedamar.org
1. 2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS & SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS
Awards
CeDAMar got an award for outstanding scientific achievements in 2007 at the all program meeting
of the Census of marine life in Auckland, New Zealand.
In June 2007, Angelika Brandt et al. published a summary of the ANDEEP results in Nature, which
generated a lot of media interest in the Census and CeDAMar. For this success, she was awarded
adventurer of the year by National Geographic and also got the “SCAR medal for Excellence in
Polar Science” during the SCAR/IASC IPY Open science conference this July in St. Petersburg.
CeDAMar results where elected by Times magazine as 4th of the ten most important discoveries in the
year 2007.
Special Volumes
A second special volume of Deep-Sea Research II was published, dealing with more ANDEEP
results. A special volume on the results of the PAP Time Series will appear in 2009. Furthermore, a
special issue of Zootaxa dealing with deep-sea biodiversity appeared this September and another
one of this kind will be published in winter 2008.
A review paper by Smith et al. 2008, elucidating connections between abyssal ecosystem structure
and nutrient flux from primary production, recently appeared in Trends in Ecology and Evolution.
Abyssal ecosystems are apparently influenced almost exclusively by the quantity and quality of
available food and thus subject to a strong bottom-up control. Global climate change therefore may
have a direct and dramatic effect on the biodiversity of abyssal benthos.
Species description published
Up to date, around 284 descriptions or redescriptions of common abyssal species where published
under the umbrella of CeDAMar, with about 103 of them 2007/2008.
Taxonomic exchanges financed
From August 2007 till today, 13 Taxonomic exchange fellowships were granted to Scientists from
Germany, Russia, the UK, Belgium and Greece going to England, Switzerland, France, the US and
Germany.
Workshops held
In March 2008, a DIVA 1 and 2 result workshop was organized by Vituco Urgorri in Ferrol, Spain.
Twenty-five participants gathered to discuss results based on material collected during the first two
DIVA expeditions to the southeastern Atlantic Ocean in 2000 and 2005, and to make plans for the
expedition DIVA 3 to the Argentine Basin. It became obvious that while biodiversity was astonishing
for many taxa, the concept of latitudinal gradients in biodiversity could not generally be verified for the
deep sea. Furthermore, it seems that distance is not always a factor regulating biogeographic
distribution in the deep sea.
In close cooperation with Dirk Steinke from MarBOL, a Barcoding Workshop was hosted at the
DZMB Wilhelmshaven in May 2008 to familiarize a wider audience with the methodology, facilitate
practical work and establish contacts with leading laboratories from the United States and Canada.
Along with practical lab work, an introduction to BoLD was given and existing barcoding projects and
as well as today´s knowledge were presented. A day of discussion allowed the participants to explore
how CeDAMar can benefit from barcoding and how, in turn, large databases such as MarBOL can
grow with the help of CeDAMar.
Data bases compiled
CeDAMar is gathering all literature records of benthic species at depths below 2000m. Until now
we have completed datasets for the following taxonomic groups: Porifera, Nematoda, Tantulocarida,
Kinorhyncha, Copepoda, Tanaidacea, Isopoda, Cumacea, Polychaeta, Sipuncula,, Solenogastres,
Bivalvia, Mono- and Polyplacophora, Brachiopoda, Holuthuria and Ascidia. Datasets for Ostracoda,
Decapoda and Gastropoda are in progress.
To make this database publically available and queryable, a dynamic map generator based on the
UNM MapServer was implemented on the CeDAMar website and went online this August
(http://www.cedamar.org/component/option,com_chameleon/Itemid,120/).
In September, 9018 abyssal records belonging to 2678 species where served to OBIS.
Yet another database was compiled by Michael Rex and Carol Stuart, listing all benthic biological
samples ever taken in the abyss. Along with the sampling location, the date, cruise and other
details can be extracted from this dataset. It is accessible via the CeDAMar homepage. A more
advanced webmapping tool with options for different queries is under construction and will go online
before the end of 2008.
Cruises
At the end of 2007, from 26 November 2007 to 4 February 2008, another expedition (ANDEEPSYSTCO) started from Cape Town to the Southern Ocean, trying to explore coupling processes
between atmosphere, water column (plankton blooms) and deep-sea floor (seasonal pulses of
nutrient influx). The expedition was designed to investigate the question about factors affecting
biodiversity in the abyss, including nutrient pulses and distance from shore. Results may help to
assess the effect of global climate change on the deep sea.
As part of the new ENAB program, another cruise took place from 4 to 21 June 2008 in the Western
North Atlantic along a transect (700-5200m depth) from Massachusetts (USA) to Bermuda. The ENAB
program stands for Evolution in the North American Basin and aims to quantify patterns of genetic
variation in deep-sea mollusks to test several hypotheses about where and how evolution has
unfolded. For this purpose, genetic markers will be developed. The PI´s are Michael Rex and Ron
Etter from the University of Massachusetts.
2. PROJECT MANAGEMENT & INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
CeDAMar is led by Pedro Martinez (DZMB Wilhelmshaven, Germany) and Craig Smith (University of
Hawaii at Manoa). There is a Scientific Steering group to advise, plan and control the progress made.
The group consists of 18 scientists of different nationalities and meets once a year during four days,
together with the PI´s and the secretariat. During the synthesis period, meetings of the managing
team and key players are planned on a more frequent basis.
The internal coordination and communication with the Census of Marine Life is done by Stefanie
Keller, whereas the education and outreach activities are managed by Brigitte Ebbe (both DZMB
Wilhelmshaven). Communication both within the managing team and the CeDAMar group is mainly
done by email, ICQ and phone.
3. 2008 EDUCATION & OUTREACH EFFORTS
CeDAMar activities finalized between October 2007 and September 2008: (1) a brochure presenting
objectives, goals, and achievements of CeDAMar and all field projects (third and updated edition in
press (2) information desks, presentations and exhibits from the deep sea at museums in Düsseldorf
(Day of the Oceans) and Hamburg (International Polar Year), target audience general public (3) a new
ship-to-shore logbook in collaboration with CAML during SYSTCO, bringing up the total of visits on
the eXpeditions site to 3.2 Million (4) video footage taken during two expeditions (Diva 2 and AndeepSystco), showing the daily work on board, the deployment of gear and interviews with different
scientists. In cooperation with Darlene Crist from the Census E & O Team, contact to National
Geographic was established and the material presented. (5) Poster presentations at the 9th meeting
of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 9) and the joint
SCAR/IASC IPY OpenScinece Conference. Target audience: scientists and decision makers.
CeDAMar products to be finalized by December 2008 are: (1) a comic book about the deep sea (text
finalized, drawings in progress, printing planned for the fall of 2008) Target audience: small children,
ca 5-7 years.
DESEO activities: (1) The book “Deeper than Light” is now available in English, Norwegian, German,
French, and Spanish. It is sold at conferences, museums and via the respective project websites. A
set-up of PayPal, facilitating direct payment via one common website, is in progress. (2) A calendar
for 2009 in CD cover format has been printed, displaying some images from the book Deeper than
Light and additional photographs from DESEO projects. Target audience: participants of the WCMB in
Valencia, November 2008 and general public during exhibitions, evening talks etc.
4. SOCIETAL BENEFITS, IMPACT & APPLICATIONS
Based on results of the projects KAPLAN and Nodinaut, recommendations for the designation of
marine protected areas in the nodule mining claim area off Hawaii (Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone,
CCZ) were compiled during a workshop and forwarded to the ISA. It has been suggested that in each
of the nine subregions of the CCZ, about 25% of the area should be designated PRAs (Protected
Reference Areas), placed so that as many seamounts as possible are inside the protected areas,
avoiding overlap with already claimed mining areas, with easily recognizable, straight borders. These
recommendations represent a collaborative effort of scientists and decision makers with direct impact
on conservation of deep-sea areas.
Pedro Martinez was elected member of the ICES advisory group on marine biodiversity.
A journal called “Marine Biodiversity” will be launched in October 2008 by Senckenberg and Springer.
The journal will catch up the spirit of the Census of Marine Life. Editor in Chief is Pedro Martinez,
while the editorial Board includes many CoML participants.
5. PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATION
Organization Name
Point-of-Contact (Name)
Nature of Relationship
Marbef (EU-Network of
Excellence)
Deepsets (deep-sea group within
Marbef)
Carlo Heip
BIOFUN (EUROCORES
Program)
ICES Biodiversity Group
Eva Ramirez
Senckenberg is a Marbef
member
Deep sea cruises in Europe
(Levar) and Porcupine abyssal
plain Time series will also
contribute to goals of Deepsets.
Senckenberg is a member of
Biofun
Pedro Martinez is member of the
group
Pedro Martinez is member of
DIVERSITAS-Germany
Craig Smith is consultant of ISA
Andrew Gooday
Michaela Schranzenberger
DIVERSITAS
ISA
6. LIAISONS
CoML Group
Liaison / Primary Point of Contact
Email
Synthesis
OBIS
Stefanie Keller
Pedro Martinez
[email protected]
[email protected]
Mapping & Visualization
FMAP
Barcoding
Education & Outreach
Pedro Martinez
Pedro Martinez
Saskia Brix, Gordon Patterson
Brigitte Ebbe
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
7. APPENDICES
-
Updated Synthesis Plans
-
Milestones
-
OBIS Report
-
Current Funding Report
-
Future Funding Needs Report
-
Ship-time Report
-
2 Images
8. INPUT TO THE ONLINE DATABASES
Bibliography Database (Publications)
 As agreed with Chris Knowlton, we are awaiting final instructions to submit our data; all data
(~ 240 papers) is already available in Bibtex and just has to be imported.
Community Database (Project Participants / Personnel Report)
 Ongoing
Schedule Database
 Up to date