Measuring and describing biodiversity
Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is a term used to
describe the physical and genetic variety of life on Earth.
Biodiversity enables many of the basic natural services required by
humans, such as fresh air, productive seas and fertile soil, so is
extremely important to protect and preserve.
There is vast biodiversity in marine environments as a
consequence of millions of years of evolutionary history, having a
2.7 billion year head start over terrestrial environments. Due to
the ocean’s vast nature and limited accessibility, scientific
efforts have focused on land, resulting in a large knowledge gap
relating to what is in the oceans, how they function and their
specific role in maintaining the balance of the marine life support
system.
PML has worked for many years to develop novel approaches for
measuring and describing biodiversity across a range of biological
scales. By investigating the relationships between biodiversity and
the provision of key biogeochemical processes, PML is developing
the understanding necessary to predict the impact of biodiversity
change on the structure and function of marine ecosystems. PML’s
reputation for conducting high quality biodiversity related
research has enabled us to take a leading role in the development
of several national and European strategies.
Projects
- Marine
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
(MarBEF)
MarBEF is a network of excellence funded
by the European Union and consisting of 94 European marine
institutes, a platform to integrate and disseminate knowledge and
expertise on marine biodiversity, with links to researchers,
industry, stakeholders and the general public.
- Benthic
survey
As part of the Oceans 2025 programme PML is
regularly surveying the benthos in the English Channel off
Plymouth.