BIOFUSEEffects of biodiversity on the functioning and stability of

marine ecosystems – European scale comparisonswww.marbef.org/projects/biofuse

Summary of outcomes

Workshop 4

Pisa 2008

Objectives of Workshop 4

1. Examine results to date from each element of BIOFUSE

2. Finalise data sets for meta-analyses

3. Finalise details of the deployment of the complex experiment;

4. Agree principles for data management and archiving

5. List potential papers and agree on principles of authorship

6. Distribute tasks for each potential manuscript.

7. Finalise plans for outreach activities

8. Discuss the potential continuation of different elements of BIOFUSE

1. Summary of results from each element

• All presentations summarising preliminary results are being made available on restricted area of BIOFUSE website

• 0.5 – 1 page summaries requested from each element leader to be incorporated into progress report (deliverable due end Jan 2008)

2. Finalise data sets for meta-analyses

• set of databases for meta-analysis for objective 1 is now complete; manuscript in advanced state

• ~21 databases already submitted for meta-analysis for objectives 2-4

• deadline for submission of databases for objectives 2-4 is March 2008

3. Finalise details of deployment of complex experiment

• presentation clarifying details of assemblages to be made and deployed by each partner available on restricted area of BIOFUSE website

• all will be deployed within next few weeks (weather permitting)

• agreed to sample (a) community structure (b) NPP & community respiration on basis of rate of change of oxygen concentration in water using simple chambers on shore and optical oxygen probe

• first measurement within 2 months of deployment; last approx 12 months; 3-4 month intervals for sampling of community

• If plates remain in place, the experiment may be extended

4. Agree principles for data management and archiving

• data to be shared and archived in Marine Data Archive, run by VLIZ (http://mda.vliz.be)

• presentation by Leen Vandepitte available on restricted area of BIOFUSE website

• BIOFUSE folder already exists in the ‘shared’ area, subfolders will be created for each element of biofuse

• will be accessible to all BIOFUSE researchers using MARBEF login & password

• All will have authority to download datasets in all subfolders. Ony leaders of writing teams will have authority to upload or change datasets. Submitted datasets should only be changed in consultation with the leader of the writing team.

4. Agree principles for data management and archiving

• Basis for authorship & use of compiled database of existing data sets– authorship not automatic, need to make “some contribution to the

development of the manuscript”; opportunities to contribute to be made for all potential co-authors (as per agreed schedule). “data owner” to decide list of potential co-authors.

• Authorship of papers from empirical research done during BIOFUSE– all contributors have authorship; leader of the element has first refusal

of lead authorship– “contributors” should be restricted to those with significant role in the

work & who could discuss and defend it (generally max of 3 per institution). Technical assistants should be listed in the acknowledgements.

4. Agree principles for data management and archiving

• All BIOFUSE data exclusively available to BIOFUSE members until end of MARBEF.– Prior to publication of biofuse papers, meta-data made

visible to whole of MARBEF. Potential users must contact data “owners”, initially via a designated contact person.

– After BIOFUSE papers published, BIOFUSE-generated data to be made publicly available.

– Pre-existing data sets submitted for meta-analysis cannot be downloaded without permission from original owners

– Users will be obliged to cite datasets using a prescribed citation including the Marine Data Archive web address.

– In all cases, data users must acknowledge MARBEF in accordance with MARBEF policy

4. Agree principles for data management and archiving

• The agreed principles will be incorporated into a formal Declaration of Mutual Understanding on Data Sharing to be drafted by M Cusson &L Vandepitte & circulated for agreement of BIOFUSE community

5. List potential papers and agree on principles of authorship

Objective 1• meta-analysis• sampling programme

Objectives 2-4• meta-analysis• simple experiment

– rocky shore

– seagrass

– sedimentary shore

– comparison of habitats

• complex experiment• overall integration

For each, decide:

- lead author

- core writing team

- list of groups/co-authors

- timeframe

completion, milestones

- publishable units

combine or subdivide?

key findings

- likely target journals

now

later

5. List potential papers and agree on principles of authorship

• Principles of authorship:– individuals have been nominated to lead analysis and

authorship of each element– those individuals are entitled to first authorship of

paper or papers emerging from that element, but may appoint different first authors depending on input

– second author will be person with second greatest input to write up

– other co-authors to be listed in alphabetical order– last author of appropriate papers would generally be T

Crowe or L Benedetti-Cecchi

• Broad Scale Patterns And Sources Of Variation In Biodiversity-Ecosystem Functioning Relationships

• Chairs: Magda Vincx; Katja Philippart; Tasman Crowe; Steve Hawkins; Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi Over-extraction of resources, degradation of coastal and benthic habitats from coastal development and destructive fishing practices, pollution and climate change are causing extensive loss of marine habitats and biodiversity. These losses can have drastic impacts on the stability and functioning of ecosystems with potential for further impacts on community structure. Although they remain poorly understood, generalisations about the nature of these impacts are beginning to emerge. Characterising variation in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships in the marine environment will greatly improve our capacity to assess consequences for marine ecosystems of threats imposed by humans.This session aims to identify general patterns and sources of variation in BEF relationships by focusing on (1) broad scale comparisons of findings from marine BEF research, investigating the effect on ecosystem functioning of changes in organisms including microbiota, meiofauna and macrobiota (2) large scale comparisons of the effect of ecosystem changes (e.g. human disturbance, climate change, ocean acidification) on the functional and structural aspects of marine biodiversity.

Abstracts to be submitted to WCMB

• Oral– objective 1 – meta-analysis and sampling programme

(Cusson)– objectives 2-4 – combined findings of simple

experiments (Crowe)– additional conceptual paper? (Paterson / Benedetti

Cecchi?)

• Posters– simple expt rocky shore (Jenkins)– simple expt seagrass (Terrados)– simple expt sediment (Aspden)– meta-analysis objectives 2-4? (Bulleri)

6. Distribute tasks for each potential manuscript

• Leaders, small core writing teams and timetables for analysis, writing and completion of each element were agreed

• Lists of potential co-authors to be provided by representatives of each institution involved in each element

• Potential co-authors will have opportunity to comment on drafts circulated at each milestone specified on timetable for completion

• Details are available in a word document in the restricted area of the BIOFUSE website

7. Finalise plans for outreach activities• presentation of preliminary findings of survey of attitudes

of students to conservation of marine biodiversity available on BIOFUSE website

• all additional data to be submitted by March 2008• plans in place for a publication for MARBEF newsletter &

perhaps for a journal article (see document on BIOFUSE website)

• R Aspden invited interested parties to become involved in development of educational video & its translation into additional languages

• I Sousa Pinto invited interested parties to extend the MobiDic programme of school monitoring programmes

8. Discuss the potential continuation of different elements of BIOFUSE

Sampling programme:planned extension

• Rationale:– further, more extensive test of existing hypotheses– fulfil strategic requirement for long term data sets, particularly

those replicated at an international scale• Approach:

– retain all sites, sample with random quadrats only– try to continue to do winter and summer; if impractical, do only

summer– indefinite time frame, 10-15 years likely

• Participants:– UCD, UP, Lecce, AAU, CIMAR, AWI-Helgoland, EMI– MBA / UoP (SJH/RCT) to be approached– other potential participants could also be invited to initiate

programmes (eg Spain, Greece)

Any Other Business

• Klemens Brittas Eriksson proposed analysis of biofuse data

Appendix

• agreed points regarding sampling programme• clarification of rationale and analysis of simple

experiment

Sampling programme:further analysis

• wait until datasets are complete (ie after the final sampling event (this winter))

• always use best estimate of total diversity as the predictor variable• explore alternative response variables , e.g. measures of variance,

aggregate measures (eg cover, biomass)• partial out & characterise influence of seasonal variation• multivariate analysis• stability of individual populations versus diversity of assemblage• functional diversity

Simple experiment:response variables

• Structure– Taxon richness– Functional richness– Evenness (on final biomass only (else combines cover & abund))– Total cover, cover of particular taxa / groups– Abundance of selected species– Final biomass– Community structure – bray curtis (mean and variance, MVDISP)– (Body size of animals (based on final sample))

• Function– Community respiration, NPP, GPP– Secondary productivity (?)– Nutrient fluxes (seagrass)

Simple experiment

• Hypothesis: loss of key species will affect resistance and resilience of system to disturbance, i.e.

(a) there will be a greater/lesser difference between disturbed and undisturbed treatments when key species absent than when present

(b) difference between disturbed and undisturbed treatments will take longer/less time to disappear in absence of key species than in its presence

Simple experiment - design

Loss ofbiodiversity

Disturbance

Location

+ key taxon - key taxon

+ - + -

1 …

Replicates

Simple experiment – hypothesised outcome

+ key species - key species

resp

onse

var

iabl

e

not disturbeddisturbed

Simple experiment - analysis

• Hypothesis predicts an interaction between the factors ‘loss of biodiversity’ and ‘disturbance’ (which may also vary among locations)

• Therefore needs analysis capable of detecting interaction– ANOVA (or 2 factor non-parametric equivalent?)– Permanova (not ANOSIM)

• Initial reporting of results should be reported in terms of outcome of test of hypothesis