Combining the Biocean database for deep-sea benthic data with the online Ocean Biogeographic Information System

Abstract

The Biocean database was designed to collate the extremely large volume of data collected from different deep-sea ecosystem studies conducted by Ifremer's department of 'Environnement Profond' (Deep-Sea Environment). This database comes in a 6-application package: 2 of them are used on research vessels to collect operational data, whereas the others are used to link with a core database back on land. The latter are used to: (1) manage taxonomic nomenclature, (2) monitor the identification of faunal collections, (3) fill in chemical analyses results or measurement data files and (4) add or extract data from the database. Biocean was designed to facilitate ecosystem studies in the deep sea. It represents an important new resource for deep-sea ecologists and will have wide applications in biogeography and biodiversity studies at Ifremer, but also for the international community, as faunal data are linked to the Census of Marine Life information system OBIS (Ocean Biogeographic Information System). Biogeographical analyses of Biocean data recovered through the OBIS portal evidence an evolution in the deep-sea sampling strategies more focused in limited areas and is intended to reveal ecosystems functioning. © Inter-Research 2006.