unlocking the treasures of the deep
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Unlocking the Treasures of
the Deep
Wayne K. FlorenceCurator: Marine invertebrate Collections, Iziko Museums
Digitization of South African Museum’s
Marine Biology Data
Pliny the Elder(23-79AD)Copied from Aristotle
‘semper aliquid novi Africam adferre’Africa is always producing some novelty.
• 12 914 species (Griffths et al 2010)• 3rd highest spp richness/area – CoML (Costello et al 2010)
• 28% spp endemic to South Africa.
•Knowledge largely incomplete, outdated and fragmented•Commercial bias•Capacity Shortages
What do we know aboutSA Marine Biodiversity?
Great ExpeditionsChallenger Expeditions1800’s
The Inventory of SpeciesResearch and Collections
History of the Marine Biology Collections
6
Early European researchers habitually sent their material overseas so, although the collection became established in 1896, there were only occasional accessions before that date. Some special collections include:
Expedition name Region covered Period Collected By
UCT Ecological Survey Durban to Cape Town 1909-1989 John D Gilchrist and RV Africana II
SS Pieter Faure St Helena Bay to Zululand
1897-1907 SS Pieter Faure
Natal Museum’s Dredging Programme
Zululand to Cape Columbine
1981-1990 RV Meiring Naude
S A Museum’s Meiring Naude Cruises
Kosi Bay to South of East London
1975-1979 RV Meiring Naude
UCT Marion Island Survey
Marion Island 1984-1989 RV SA Agulhas
Cruise 060 Columbine and Cape Point Canyons
1988 RV Africana
Mozambique Scad Survey
Off Mozambique 1994 RV Algoa
South African Museum’s Meiring Naude cruises – 1970’s
DEA/DAFF – Annual Surveys
Prep and Taxonomy
Holdings • Total Specimens in Collection - at least 151 324 specimens of marine invertebrates, fishes and marine mammals
• 77 292 Catalogued
Digitisation• Muse – Specify 3 – Access – Specify 6• AfrOBIS (57 095):– Crustaceans – 13 127– Molluscs - 6078– Fishes -15048– Marine Mammals - 1184
• SABIF (10 984):– Porifera, Cnidaria, Bryozoa, Annelida
(Polychaeta), Echinodermata and other mixed invertebrates (ie., Dinoflagellata, Foraminifera, Helminth worms and Nemertea, Annelida, Brachiopoda, Pycnogonida and Ascidiacea)
Iziko MB Digital recordsSpecify Records – 77 292• Marine Invertebrates – 55 968 (45% Georeferenced & 1493 types)
• Fishes – 19 826 (45% Georeferenced & 408 types)
• Marine Mammals – 900 Cetacea and 598 Pinnipedia
SA Marine Bioregions
South Africa’s nine marine bioregions (taken from Lombard et al. 2004)
Way Forward Marine Biodiversity Sector
1. formally agree on key gaps in knowledge, 2. appoint staff to fill gaps strategically and create positions,3. facilitate graduate training to address gaps, and specifically to cope with
the progressive loss of taxonomic expertise,4. host workshops (including field studies) and symposia to generate team-
building and a sense of urgency and momentum amongst participants to address gaps,
5. support low-cost, open-access publication of knowledge through e-journals and authoritative online species information systems (including digital species identification guides),
6. develop new technologies for ocean exploration, knowledge discovery, data management and dissemination of results, and
7. encourage international collaboration between countries to facilitate field work, strategically build specimen collections, and publish data and knowledge online.
Improved coordination between institutions, including museums, fisheries institutes, government and intergovernmental agencies, and universities
Major gaps in basic knowledge of marine biodiversity, taxonomically and geographically remain and therefore science and society would thus benefit from investing in discovery
AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements
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