Collaborative Proposal: Documenting Diversity in the Apex of the Coral Triangle: Inventory of Philippine Marine Biodiversity

本项目将记录地球上疑似海洋生物多样性的高峰--S最多样的海洋境界。来自加州科学院(CAS)的研究人员将与美国和菲律宾的许多其他机构合作，记录东南亚珊瑚三角中的海洋生物种类，重点是“生物多样性中心的中心”--菲律宾吕宋岛的佛得角岛航道(VIP)。研究人员将评估VIP的极端生物多样性，以确定物种分布，分析物种之间的遗传多样性，并发现新物种，包括在黄昏地带，通过先进的水下技术，允许在低于传统潜水达到的深度进行探索。该项目将在全球气候变化和人类发展活动的进一步影响之前，在关键的重要地点建立关于生物多样性的关键基线信息。结果将为区域和全球养护和管理政策提供信息，并使公众参与保护珊瑚礁社区，这是海洋和人类健康不可或缺的一部分。数据和收藏品将被保存和编目，并可供将来研究。

This project will document a suspected peak in marine animal diversity in the Earth?s most diverse marine realm. Investigators from the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with numerous other US and Philippine institutions, will document the kinds of marine organisms in the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia, focusing on the "center of the center of biodiversity," the Verde Island Passage (VIP) of Luzon, Philippines. Researchers will assess the extreme biodiversity across the VIP to determine species distributions, analyze genetic diversity among species, and discover new species, including in the Twilight Zone, accessible through advanced underwater technology that allows exploration at depths below those reached with traditional scuba diving. The project will establish crucial baseline information on biodiversity at key VIP localities before further impact of global climate change and human development activities. Results will inform regional and global conservation and management policies, and engage the public in protecting coral reef communities integral to oceanic and human health. Data and collections will be preserved and cataloged, and will be available for study into the future.