Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters.
To understand marine biodiversity in Japanese waters, we have compiled information on the marine biota in Japanese waters, including the number of described species (species richness), the history of marine biology research in Japan, the state of knowledge, the number of endemic species, the number...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2010-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2914005?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1811269797040619520 |
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| author | Katsunori Fujikura Dhugal Lindsay Hiroshi Kitazato Shuhei Nishida Yoshihisa Shirayama |
| author_facet | Katsunori Fujikura Dhugal Lindsay Hiroshi Kitazato Shuhei Nishida Yoshihisa Shirayama |
| author_sort | Katsunori Fujikura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To understand marine biodiversity in Japanese waters, we have compiled information on the marine biota in Japanese waters, including the number of described species (species richness), the history of marine biology research in Japan, the state of knowledge, the number of endemic species, the number of identified but undescribed species, the number of known introduced species, and the number of taxonomic experts and identification guides, with consideration of the general ocean environmental background, such as the physical and geological settings. A total of 33,629 species have been reported to occur in Japanese waters. The state of knowledge was extremely variable, with taxa containing many inconspicuous, smaller species tending to be less well known. The total number of identified but undescribed species was at least 121,913. The total number of described species combined with the number of identified but undescribed species reached 155,542. This is the best estimate of the total number of species in Japanese waters and indicates that more than 70% of Japan's marine biodiversity remains un-described. The number of species reported as introduced into Japanese waters was 39. This is the first attempt to estimate species richness for all marine species in Japanese waters. Although its marine biota can be considered relatively well known, at least within the Asian-Pacific region, considering the vast number of different marine environments such as coral reefs, ocean trenches, ice-bound waters, methane seeps, and hydrothermal vents, much work remains to be done. We expect global change to have a tremendous impact on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Japan is in a particularly suitable geographic situation and has a lot of facilities for conducting marine science research. Japan has an important responsibility to contribute to our understanding of life in the oceans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T21:48:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3966794c711047609cfd0780fa025ed6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T21:48:30Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-3966794c711047609cfd0780fa025ed62022-12-22T03:15:33ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032010-01-0158e1183610.1371/journal.pone.0011836Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters.Katsunori FujikuraDhugal LindsayHiroshi KitazatoShuhei NishidaYoshihisa ShirayamaTo understand marine biodiversity in Japanese waters, we have compiled information on the marine biota in Japanese waters, including the number of described species (species richness), the history of marine biology research in Japan, the state of knowledge, the number of endemic species, the number of identified but undescribed species, the number of known introduced species, and the number of taxonomic experts and identification guides, with consideration of the general ocean environmental background, such as the physical and geological settings. A total of 33,629 species have been reported to occur in Japanese waters. The state of knowledge was extremely variable, with taxa containing many inconspicuous, smaller species tending to be less well known. The total number of identified but undescribed species was at least 121,913. The total number of described species combined with the number of identified but undescribed species reached 155,542. This is the best estimate of the total number of species in Japanese waters and indicates that more than 70% of Japan's marine biodiversity remains un-described. The number of species reported as introduced into Japanese waters was 39. This is the first attempt to estimate species richness for all marine species in Japanese waters. Although its marine biota can be considered relatively well known, at least within the Asian-Pacific region, considering the vast number of different marine environments such as coral reefs, ocean trenches, ice-bound waters, methane seeps, and hydrothermal vents, much work remains to be done. We expect global change to have a tremendous impact on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Japan is in a particularly suitable geographic situation and has a lot of facilities for conducting marine science research. Japan has an important responsibility to contribute to our understanding of life in the oceans.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2914005?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Katsunori Fujikura Dhugal Lindsay Hiroshi Kitazato Shuhei Nishida Yoshihisa Shirayama Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters. PLoS ONE |
| title | Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters. |
| title_full | Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters. |
| title_fullStr | Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters. |
| title_short | Marine biodiversity in Japanese waters. |
| title_sort | marine biodiversity in japanese waters |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2914005?pdf=render |
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