Saw this posted on a Philippine Paradise Divers thread by Mampsa; any violent/ allergic/ knee-jerk reactions?
HALIFAX, Canada (10 Dec 2006) -- The Philippine Islands, located in
the Southeast Asian marine biodiversity triangle, has the richest
concentration of marine life on the entire planet, according to a
study conducted by Kent Carpenter, Old Dominion University associate
professor of biological sciences in Virginia, USA.
A multidisciplinary project headed by Carpenter that lasted more than
10 years and involved 101 of the world's foremost authorities on
marine life produced 2,983 maps of marine species for the western
Pacific Ocean. The study, conducted for the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, produced "the largest and most
accurate database available" according to a review by Bruce Collette
of the National Marine Fisheries Service Systematic Laboratory at the
Smithsonian Institution.
"Scientists have long known that the area in Southeast Asia that
includes Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines hold the richest
marine biodiversity. I was amazed to discover that the extreme center
of this biodiversity is in the Philippines, rather than closer to the
equator," said Carpenter. "However, a geographical information system
analysis of this extensive database clearly shows this pattern."
The results of these findings are published in the journal
Environmental Biology of Fishes under the title, "The Center of the
Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity: The Philippine Islands." The
article is coauthored by Victor Springer of the National Museum of
Natural History in Washington, D.C. The computer analysis was done
with the support of Conservation International.
Carpenter's goal now is to understand the natural forces, such as
lithospheric plate movements, prevailing currents and the geography
and geology of the area that contributed to the evolution of the
biodiversity.
"This discovery poses some very interesting questions about the
origins of marine life in our oceans. Perhaps the Philippines holds
the key to unraveling mysteries about how marine biodiversity patterns
change through space and time," said Carpenter.
HALIFAX, Canada (10 Dec 2006) -- The Philippine Islands, located in
the Southeast Asian marine biodiversity triangle, has the richest
concentration of marine life on the entire planet, according to a
study conducted by Kent Carpenter, Old Dominion University associate
professor of biological sciences in Virginia, USA.
A multidisciplinary project headed by Carpenter that lasted more than
10 years and involved 101 of the world's foremost authorities on
marine life produced 2,983 maps of marine species for the western
Pacific Ocean. The study, conducted for the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, produced "the largest and most
accurate database available" according to a review by Bruce Collette
of the National Marine Fisheries Service Systematic Laboratory at the
Smithsonian Institution.
"Scientists have long known that the area in Southeast Asia that
includes Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines hold the richest
marine biodiversity. I was amazed to discover that the extreme center
of this biodiversity is in the Philippines, rather than closer to the
equator," said Carpenter. "However, a geographical information system
analysis of this extensive database clearly shows this pattern."
The results of these findings are published in the journal
Environmental Biology of Fishes under the title, "The Center of the
Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity: The Philippine Islands." The
article is coauthored by Victor Springer of the National Museum of
Natural History in Washington, D.C. The computer analysis was done
with the support of Conservation International.
Carpenter's goal now is to understand the natural forces, such as
lithospheric plate movements, prevailing currents and the geography
and geology of the area that contributed to the evolution of the
biodiversity.
"This discovery poses some very interesting questions about the
origins of marine life in our oceans. Perhaps the Philippines holds
the key to unraveling mysteries about how marine biodiversity patterns
change through space and time," said Carpenter.
