Publisher : University of the Philippines Visayas
Place of publication : Miagao,Iloilo,Philippines
Publication year : 2008
Thematic : Marine Resources
Language : English
Note
This paper aims to demonstrate the use of global marine biodiversity databases, such as SeaLifeBase and FishBase, to provide a preliminary assessment of marine biodiversity in the Philippines, where it is at its apex.
SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org), a joint activity of the Sea Around Us Project of the University of British Columbia and the WorldFish Center, is patterned after the popular online database on fish, FishBase. It focuses on non-fish marine vertebrates and invertebrates of the world, providing information, from published sources, on distribution, ecology, biology, human uses, and IUCN/CITES status. Catalogue of life, World Register of Marine Species, other databases, and a network of specialists maintain its taxonomic backbone.
Currently, information on ca. 56,000 species is encoded, including 3,781 Philippine non-fish species (plus 3,080 fishes thru FishBase); of these Philippine non-fish species, 3,781 have global distribution and habitat, 931 with maximum length, 743 with depth range. Philippine economically important species are included among 582 arthropods, 210 non-fish chordates, 669 cnidarians, 90 echinoderms, 1,982 mollusks, and 248 species from other groups. Also, 24 less speciose phyla are complete.
Availability of this information is crucial for analyses used by Philippine natural resources managers. Thus, it is imperative to fill the information gap for Philippine marine biodiversity in SeaLifeBase; this can be achieved through collaboration; inquiries by interested colleagues will be greatly appreaciated.
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Encoded by : Mae Belen Llanza
