Viewpoint A Census of Marine Life

RON O’DOR

lthough humanity has begunto and count every organism in the sea. macroscopic species are known,but dis- Aexplore Mars, we are still coloniz- Nor is that possible—some details are tributions and abundance remain eco- ing our home planet. The 70 percent of ever changing and unknowable.During nomically critical unknown factors that Earth beneath the oceans is twice the its first three years, CoML has created can be resolved with an integrated in- area ofMars and the moon combined, the Ocean Biogeographic Information formation system. In contrast, along the but it is not nearly as well mapped. System (OBIS), which contains over a continental margins and abyssal plains Ninety-five percent ofEarth’ s biosphere million records of 25,000 marine that define the hidden boundaries, 80 volume is in the oceans,where life has species. OBIS is projected to encom- percent ofthe specimens collected may thrived for billions ofyears. At the genetic pass 10 million records and all known be new to science.The goal ofCoML is level,the oceans contain the vast major- marine species by 2005. Research a global picture ofmarine life accessible ity of Earth’ s biodiversity. Although organizations were initially reluctant through OBIS. Thus, although sampling people have begun to recognize that bio- to commit data to OBIS, but contribu- must be done geographically,the projects diversity, particularly genetic diversity,is tions are now coming in faster than focus on concepts and approaches that a valuable resource,the efforts to preserve they can be assimilated. can be efficiently extended throughout it in the oceans lag far behind those for OBIS, which is open to the public at the world. As climate change begins to preservation ofbiodiversity on land.The www.iobis.org, currently searches 20 data- affect ocean physics on a global scale, number ofknown ocean species—about bases worldwide to create maps ofspecies OBIS will be the key to translating phys- 200,000—contrasts sharply with the mil- distribution and lists ofknown species in ical patterns into biological ones. lions that could be known by applying an area. Maps can be overlaid on syn- Between 2005 and 2010, CoML will modern technology (O’Dor 2003). optic satellite or model information such encourage additional sampling in all Implements oftechnology, such as as sea surface temperature or primary oceans,using protocols developed and factory trawlers and drilling platforms, production. For some species, there are tested in the initial zonal projects (Decker are a permanent presence in the oceans, also time series—a few going back 400 and O’Dor 2002). To this end,national and developing technologies make ex- years—based on biohistorical recon- and regional committees for the Cen- ploitation ofthe full depth and extent of structions from the History ofMarine sus ofMarine Life are forming around the oceans possible. Many economic Animal Populations project (Holm et the world, including both scientists and sectors—food, energy,and international al.2001). OBIS has modest modeling stakeholders. National committees in trade, for example—are significantly and predictive capacity now,but that countries with major research and in- dependent on the sea. Society needs de- capacity will grow as the database grows dustrial capacity at sea are identifying scriptions ofthe seas’resources, particu- and as new applications are tested by priorities and matching their capacity larly the fragile, renewable ones.At the Future of Marine Animal Popula- with CoML goals to implement sam- present, the industrial sector knows more tions project (Worm et al.2003). OBIS pling programs. Regional committees about the sea than does the scientific also has educational tools and lesson are forming where there is more ocean community,but by the end of this plans to build interest in ocean science than capacity to encourage international decade, scientists hope to have recorded and ocean life. collaboration and economies ofscale in the global scope ofthe ocean’s resources. CoML divides the oceans into six op- new sampling projects. These commit- What is the full scope ofmarine bio- erational “realms”of the unknown: tees are also well placed to recognize and diversity? In 1997, the global marine sci- human edges, hidden boundaries, cen- support new approaches and projects. ence network began to tackle this tral waters, active geology,ice oceans, It is clear that the degree ofresolution challenging question, taking the first and microscopic oceans.The realms are ofthe patterns ofmarine biodiversity steps toward the Census ofMarine Life subdivided into “zones”that are based on developed by 2010 will vary both by (CoML). CoML’s international scientific the special technologies required to study realm and by region.The Japan-led steering committee, formed in 2000, them. By 2005, a dozen zonal CoML field nearshore project,NaGISA (acronym sponsored 20 workshops to delimit the projects will be creating large amounts of for Natural Geography in Shore Areas, known and the unknown,and it initiated new information about species, includ- but also Japanese for “coastline”), is rel- a dozen major projects focused on the ing distributions and abundance.In the atively inexpensive,requiring only scuba least-known parts ofthe ocean.Even the nearshore and coastal zones along the divers to sample along a transect from best modern technology cannot name human edges, a high proportion ofthe the shore to a depth of10 meters. Nearly

92 BioScience • February 2004 / Vol. 54 No. 2 Viewpoint

50 countries have committed to swim mitters that locate them and record challenge for all parts ofthe marine transects and record diversity in stan- temperature–depth profiles. Acoustic biological community for the decade. It dardized ways, often using volunteers tracking technology allows animals as is also clear that this challenge offers (Shirayama et al.2002). The initial goal small as sardines to chart their own mi- great rewards for the inhabitants ofthe ofa transect every 300 kilometers (km) grations in the coastal zone.The tech- blue planet, who must learn to manage along 15,000-km latitudinal and longi- nologies are not cheap, but they cost the ocean’s bounty,having now proved tudinal gradients will be achieved, as much less than vessels. Advanced beyond doubt that it is not an inex- well as some level ofsampling along the acoustic fish-finding equipment on re- haustible resource. millions ofkilometers ofcoast globally. search and commercial fleets can count For this 2 percent ofthe ocean’s area, animals in both the coastal zone and the Ron O’Dor (e-mail: [email protected]) is some countries have already committed central water dark zones. senior scientist for the Census of Marine Life at to monitoring transects for 50 years to The challenges of collecting speci- the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and record global change, giving the project mens throughout the ocean realms and Education in Washington, DC. a built-in fourth dimension. recording them in a universally accessi- References cited At the other end ofthe spectrum, ble and searchable database are large, Decker CJ, O’Dor RK. 2002. The census of marine samples for the German-le d abyssal but now essentially well defined and lim- life: Special issue. Oceanologia Acta 25: 179– plains project come from 4 to 5 km deep, ited largely by financial commitment. 284. a habitat that underlies 90 percent of The resolution ofthe picture ofmarine Holm P,Smith TD, Starkey DJ. 2001. The Exploit- the ocean.Each sediment sample takes life that CoML will deliver in 2010 will ed Seas: New Directions for Marine Environ- hours to collect,using specialized vessels depend on the investment society is pre- mental History. St. John’s (Canada):Interna- that cost thousands ofdollars per hour pared to make. The greatest challenge tional Maritime Economic History Asso- to operate. Initial commitments are for has in fact turned out to be describing all a sampling gradient from the equator the new species being discovered. In re- ciation, Census of Marine Life. to the Antarctic in the South Atlantic,but cent years, approximately 2000 new O’Dor RK. 2003. The Unknown Ocean: Baseline so little is known about this habitat that species from the oceans have been de- Report of the Census of Marine Life Program. we cannot even guess what sampling scribed each year.A single CoML cruise Washington (DC):Consortium for Oceano- resolution will be necessary or possible. to the abyssal plains offAngola recently graphic Research and Education.(7 January Similar vessels are required to reach the recorded 400 new species. At this rate, 2004; www.coml.org/baseline/) unique ecosystems at small geological five cruises per year will saturate the Shirayama Y,Rowden AA,Gordon DP,Kawai H. zones ofthe seamounts, hydrothermal capacity ofthe world’s museums and 2002. Latitudinal biodiversity in coastal vents, and methane seeps. Work under taxonomists to archive and describe new macrophyte communities. Pages 162–182 in the ice,Earth’ s fastest disappearing habi- species. CoML already has more cruises Nakashizuka T ,Stork N,eds. Biodiversity tat, is even more expensive, and even than this scheduled for 2004. A new Research Methods.Kyoto (Japan):Kyoto Uni- less is known about the habitat being approach called the “bar code oflife, ” versity Press. sampled. which uses high-throughput DNA Stoeckle M.2003. Taxonomy,DNA,and the bar In the light zone ofthe vast central sequencing technology,holds great code of life. BioScience 53: 796–797. waters above, large pelagic species are promise for accelerating this process, Worm B,Lotze HK, Myers RA. 2003. Predator helping to map biological distributions particularly in the microscopic realm diversity hotspots in the blue ocean. Proceed- in relation to ocean physics across the (Stoeckle 2003). Yet it is clear that the ings of the National Academy of Sciences 100: North Pacific by carrying satellite trans- Census ofMarine Life remains a grand 9884–9888.

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February 2004 / Vol. 54 No. 2 • BioScience93