presentation given at the last Diversitas OSC, in Cape Town, October 2009

1. Quantifying Antarctic
marine biodiversity
using SCAR-MarBIN
Bruno Danis, Hendrik Segers, Claude De Broyer, Huw Griffiths
Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, British Antarctic Survey

2. Antarctic biodiversity
• 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

3. SCAR-MarBIN
Marine Biodiversity Information Network
• Funding: Belgian science Policy office
• International Polar Year 2007/08
• Census of Antarctic Marine Life
• Ocean Biogeographic Information System
• Global Biodiversity Information Network

4. Philosophy
• 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
Riddle, M. Australian Antarctic Division

5. Tangible results
www.scarmarbin.be
• The first RAMS
• Board of 60 editors
all taxa
all species
• Feeds WoRMS, CoL and
EoL
valid species
• 16,176 taxa
0 3.750 7.500 11.250 15.000
• 9,234 species

6. Tangible results
www.scarmarbin.be
1.000.000+ records
130 datasets
5,200+ taxa
Downloadable
WebGIS
Webservices

7. 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

8. Identifying gaps
Griffiths HJ, British Antarctic Survey

9. 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

10. Identifying gaps
2,8 isopod species are
descibed every year
De Broyer C & Danis B, submitted
600+ were discovered
during ANDEEP
We will need 214 years to
describe them!

11. 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

12. Building bridges
• Across disciplines
• molecular & biogeography
• environmental parameters
• Across nations
• contributors: 13 countries
• users: 100+ countries

13. 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

14. Thanks for your attention
Strugnell J. British Antarctic Survey