Document of bibliographic reference 365879

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

A dataset of cold-water coral distribution records

Abstract

Species distribution data are key for monitoring present and future biodiversity patterns and informing conservation and management strategies. Large biodiversity information facilities often contain spatial and taxonomic errors that reduce the quality of the provided data. Moreover, datasets are frequently shared in varying formats, inhibiting proper integration and interoperability. Here, we provide a quality-controlled dataset of the diversity and distribution of cold-water corals, which provide key ecosystem services and are considered vulnerable to human activities and climate change effects. We use the common term cold-water corals to refer to species of the orders Alcyonacea, Antipatharia, Pennatulacea, Scleractinia, Zoantharia of the subphylum Anthozoa, and order Anthoathecata of the class Hydrozoa. Distribution records were collated from multiple sources, standardized using the Darwin Core Standard, dereplicated, taxonomically corrected and flagged for potential vertical and geographic distribution errors based on peer-reviewed published literature and expert consulting. This resulted in 817,559 quality-controlled records of 1,170 accepted species of cold-water corals, openly available under the FAIR principle of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability of data. The dataset represents the most updated baseline for the global cold-water coral diversity, and it can be used by the broad scientific community to provide insights into biodiversity patterns and their drivers, identify regions of high biodiversity and endemicity, and project potential redistribution under future climate change. It can also be used by managers and stakeholders to guide biodiversity conservation and prioritization actions against biodiversity loss.

WebOfScience code

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001008749400001

Bibliographic citation

Balogh, V.; Fragkopoulou, E.; Serrão, E.A.; Assis, J. (2023). A dataset of cold-water coral distribution records. Data in Brief 48: 109223. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109223

Topic

Marine

Is peer reviewed

true

Access rights

open access

Is accessible for free

true