Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual Review 2012

AEBAR 2012: Marine Biodiversity
11.3.2. Overall progress in MPI marine biodiversity research
The MPI Biodiversity Research programme has three overarching science goals:
• To describe and characterise the distribution and abundance of fauna and flora, as expressed
through measures of biodiversity, and improving understanding about the drivers of the
spatial and temporal patterns observed.
• To determine the functional role of different organisms or groups of organisms in marine
ecosystems, and assess the role of marine biodiversity in mitigating the impacts of
anthropogenic disturbance on healthy ecosystem functioning.
• To identify which components of biodiversity are required to ensure the sustainability of
healthy marine ecosystems as well as to meet societal values on biodiversity.
More specific Science Objectives developed below have been modified by BRAG over time and are
used to focus the research commissioned:
1. To classify and characterise the biodiversity, including the description and documentation of
biota, associated with nearshore and offshore marine habitats in New Zealand.
2. To develop ecosystem-scale understanding of biodiversity in the New Zealand marine
environment.
3. To investigate the role of biodiversity in the functional ecology of nearshore and offshore
marine communities.
4. To assess developments in all aspects of diversity, including genetic marine biodiversity and
identify key topics for research.
5. To determine the effects of climate change and increased ocean acidification on marine
biodiversity, as well as effects of incursions of non-indigenous species, and other threats
and impacts.
6. To develop appropriate diversity metrics and other indicators of biodiversity that can be used
to monitor change.
7. To identify threats and impacts to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning beyond natural
environmental variation.
To date, 55 research projects have been commissioned. Early studies focused primarily on Objectives
1 and 2 and resulted in reviews, Identification Guides, habitat and community characterisations, and
revised taxonomy for certain groups of organisms. These objectives have also resulted in large
collaborative ship-based surveys that have contributed to improved seabed classification in New
Zealand waters and the exploration of new habitats in the region and in Antarctic waters. Over time,
the complexity and scale of studies has increased with projects on the functional ecology of marine
ecosystems from localised experimental manipulation to broad-scale observations across 100s km 2
under Objective 3. Such studies have also pursued the development of improved measures of
biodiversity and indicators under Objectives 6 and 7. A study on changes in shelf ecosystems over the
past 1000 years is yielding insights into the effects of long-term climate change, land-use effects and
fishing on marine ecosystems while more recently, some studies have begun to address the effects of
ocean acidification on marine biodiversity under Objective 5. A study underway has reviewed genetic
variation in the New Zealand marine environment and is conducting field observations on several
species to examine genetic variation across latitudinal gradients. Aspects of the seven Objectives have
also been addressed through a range of biodiversity projects in the Ross Sea region including the
International Polar Year Census of Antarctic Marine Life project (IPY-CAML). A key to study
findings is consideration of biodiversity within the context of the carrying capacity of the system and
the natural assemblages of biota supported by that system in the absence of human disturbance.
Progress in the MPI Biodiversity Programme is summarised in Figure 11.5.
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