RCN: Diversity of the Indo-Pacific Network (DIPnet): A collaborative research network and database for advancing marine biodiversity research

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The objective of this Research Coordination Network project is to develop an international network of researchers who use genetic methodologies to study the ecology and evolution of marine organisms in the Indo-Pacific to share data, ideas and methods. The tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans encompass the largest biogeographic region on the planet, the Indo-Pacific. It spans over half of the Earth's circumference and includes the exclusive economic zones of over 50 nations and territories. The Indo-Pacific is also home to our world's most diverse marine environments. The enormity and diversity of the Indo-Pacific poses tremendous logistical, political and financial obstacles to individual researchers and laboratories attempting to study the marine biology of the region. Genetic methods can provide invaluable information for our understanding of processes ranging from individual dispersal to the composition and assembly of entire marine communities. The project will: (1) assemble a unique, open access database of population genetic data and associated metadata that is compatible with the developing genomic and biological diversity standards for data archiving, (2) facilitate open communication and collaboration among researchers from across the region through international workshops, virtual communication and a collaborative website, (3) promote training in the use of genetic methodologies in ecology and evolution for researchers from developing countries through these same venues, and (4) use the assembled database to address fundamental questions about the evolution of species and the reservoirs of genetic diversity in the Indo-Pacific. The network will provide a model for international collaborative networks and genetic databasing in biodiversity research that extends beyond the results of this Research Coordination Network effort.