Abstract
To understand marine biodiversity in Japanese waters, we have compiled information on the marine biota in Japanese waters, including the number of described species (species richness), the history of marine biology research in Japan, the state of knowledge, the number of endemic species, the number of identified but undescribed species, the number of known introduced species, and the number of taxonomic experts and identification guides, with consideration of the general ocean environmental background, such as the physical and geological settings. A total of 33,629 species have been reported to occur in Japanese waters. The state of knowledge was extremely variable, with taxa containing many inconspicuous, smaller species tending to be less well known. The total number of identified but undescribed species was at least 121,913. The total number of described species combined with the number of identified but undescribed species reached 155,542. This is the best estimate of the total number of species in Japanese waters and indicates that more than 70% of Japan's marine biodiversity remains un-described. The number of species reported as introduced into Japanese waters was 39. This is the first attempt to estimate species richness for all marine species in Japanese waters. Although its marine biota can be considered relatively well known, at least within the Asian-Pacific region, considering the vast number of different marine environments such as coral reefs, ocean trenches, ice-bound waters, methane seeps, and hydrothermal vents, much work remains to be done. We expect global change to have a tremendous impact on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Japan is in a particularly suitable geographic situation and has a lot of facilities for conducting marine science research. Japan has an important responsibility to contribute to our understanding of life in the oceans.
Highlights
Understanding the biodiversity and function of marine ecosystems, and how they respond to global change and human activities, is essential to maintaining sustainable human life in harmony with nature, because humans are directly or indirectly dependent on marine life
Species richness estimation Three species richness indices—including the number of described species (NDS), the number of endemic species (NES), and the number of identified but undescribed species (NUS), as well as the number of known introduced species (NIS)—were estimated for each taxonomic order of organisms occurring in Japanese waters
The phyla belonging to the Eukarya contain many conspicuous, often larger species, had members living in shallow water, and generally had a tendency to exhibit higher reported species richness
Summary
Understanding the biodiversity and function of marine ecosystems, and how they respond to global change and human activities, is essential to maintaining sustainable human life in harmony with nature, because humans are directly or indirectly dependent on marine life. The resources to identify and inventory marine biodiversity have not increased commensurately with this demand [1]. To contribute to our understanding of marine ecosystems, a global network called the Census of Marine Life (Census) was implemented in 2000 (http://www.coml.org/). The purpose of the Census is to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life. To strengthen support for marine biodiversity research at the country or regional scale, the Census formed National and Regional Implementation Committees (NRICs) in 12 countries or regions. The role of the NRICs is to identify research and data priorities for marine biodiversity. The work reported here contributes to the Japan NRICs efforts
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