Discovering Marine Biodiversity - Over The Years
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Although the economic use of marine resources dates back to prehistoric times, and historical documentation has existed since the 3rd century B.C., the collection of marine organisms began only during the 17th and 18th centuries. At this time, global marine biodiversity investigations were limited not only by scientific knowledge, but more importantly on travels undertaken by the colonial powers. For these reasons, specimens were collected from limited regions (Caribbean, Japan, South America, Africa) and were mostly brought back to Europe. It was here that they were described, deposited in museum collections, and used for the production of marine biological monographs. These early publications contained descriptions and checklists of many marine species, such as crustaceans, fish, turtles, birds, and mammals.
Research on marine biodiversity can generally be divided into three periods: early exploratory studies, local coastal “descriptive” studies, and large-scale multidisciplinary investigations.
The first exploratory studies took place in South America, Caribbean, South Africa and the Pacific Ocean from the mid-1700s until the late-1800s following European, North American, and Russian exploration expeditions, such as the Kamchatka Expedition in the 1740s, James Cook's voyages
in the 1770s, the cruise of HMS Beagle in the 1830s, the voyage of HMS Challenger in the 1870s, and the first deep-sea investigations in the
Mediterranean Sea. The taxonomists who described marine species during this period seldom collected specimens themselves and only had second-hand information about the distribution and ecology of the samples they received. Some of the early descriptions of tropical species do not even have the locality where the specimens were collected (some examples in Chenu 1842–1853).
The second period of regional studies benefited from the enhanced availability of research resources (scientific experts, institutes, and vessels). The earliest institutions and research stations, many of which continue to operate today, were founded in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Wide-scale establishment of laboratories in several continents (Europe, New Zealand, North and South America) have only been operational since the 1950s–1960s.
The third stage, large-scale multidisciplinary investigations have evolved since the 1990s, and is related to the development and application of modern technologies and implementation of large, multinational research projects. Perhaps the largest of such investigations is the Census of Marine Life (Census).
Research on marine biodiversity can generally be divided into three periods: early exploratory studies, local coastal “descriptive” studies, and large-scale multidisciplinary investigations.
The first exploratory studies took place in South America, Caribbean, South Africa and the Pacific Ocean from the mid-1700s until the late-1800s following European, North American, and Russian exploration expeditions, such as the Kamchatka Expedition in the 1740s, James Cook's voyages
in the 1770s, the cruise of HMS Beagle in the 1830s, the voyage of HMS Challenger in the 1870s, and the first deep-sea investigations in the
Mediterranean Sea. The taxonomists who described marine species during this period seldom collected specimens themselves and only had second-hand information about the distribution and ecology of the samples they received. Some of the early descriptions of tropical species do not even have the locality where the specimens were collected (some examples in Chenu 1842–1853).
The second period of regional studies benefited from the enhanced availability of research resources (scientific experts, institutes, and vessels). The earliest institutions and research stations, many of which continue to operate today, were founded in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Wide-scale establishment of laboratories in several continents (Europe, New Zealand, North and South America) have only been operational since the 1950s–1960s.
The third stage, large-scale multidisciplinary investigations have evolved since the 1990s, and is related to the development and application of modern technologies and implementation of large, multinational research projects. Perhaps the largest of such investigations is the Census of Marine Life (Census).