Perspectives of marine biodiversity studies in Argentina

VIVIAN A. LUTZ; ENRIQUE E. BOSCHI; CLAUDIA S. BREMEC; MARÍA BERTA COUSSEAU; DANIEL E. FIGUEROA; DIEGO H. RODRIGUEZ; NORBERTO SCARLATO; MARÍA DELIA VIÑAS; MIRTHA N. LEWIS; PABLO E. PENCHASZADEH; FABIÁN H. ACUÑA; MARINA L. AGUIRRE; RUT AKSELMAN; VIVIANA A. ALDER; ANA BALDONI; MARÍA S. BARRÍA; RICARDO O. BASTIDA; ALICIA S. BORASO; JORGE CALVO; CLAUDIO CAMPAGNA; GUILLERMO CAÑETE; MARÍA C. CASSIA; PATRICIA M. CERVELLINI,; GUSTAVO E. CHIARAMONTE; MARCELA COSTAGLIOLA; GUILLERMINA COSULICH; MARÍA C. DAPONTE; JUAN M. DÍAZ DE ASTARLOA; RODOLFO ELÍAS; GRACIELA B. ESNAL; ADRIANA C. EXCOFFON; HUGO FREIJE; SUSANA GARCÍA DE LA ROSA; GABRIEL N. GENZANO; DIEGO A. GIBERTO; RAÚL GUERRERO; WALTER HELBLING; MÓNICA S. HOFFMEYER; INÉS S. INCORVAIA; OSCAR IRIBARNE; ANDRÉS J. JAUREGUIZAR; MARIELA KOGAN; GUSTAVO A. LOVRICH; ADRIÁN O. MADIROLAS; JUAN P. MARTIN; PATRICIA MARTOS; MARÍA L. MENDOZA; SILVINA MENU MARQUE; HERMES W. MIANZAN,; ELBA R. MORRICONI; RUBÉN M. NEGRI; SANDRA OBENAT; CATALINA T. PASTOR DE WARD; LAURA B. PÉREZ DE FANKH

GAYANA (CONCEPCIóN)

Año: 2003 vol. 67 p. 371 - 382

0717-652X

This paper provides an overview of the research being carried out at the moment by a group of Argentinean scientistsworking on the subjects of marine biodiversity and oceanography. When the idea of the Census of Marine Life (CoML)was proposed following the Symposium held during the IAPSO-IABO conference in Mar del Plata in October 2001,there was a wide response from the marine scientific community. Information about current research projects, as wellas plans for future work in the context of the CoML, were then obtained from about 70 scientists (Appendix I) belong-ing to 12 institutions located along the Argentinean coast (Appendix II, Figure 1). This has been used to illustrate whatis currently being pursued in marine biodiversity in Argentina and which subjects are considered as priority for futureresearch in the area. This paper is, thus, not an historical update of the knowledge of marine biodiversity, but it attemptsto give an idea of the current situation and what is planned for the future. The development of an extensive database ofwhat is known on marine biodiversity in the region is considered to be a necessity, but it constitutes a complete projecton its own; as such it is included in the proposals for future work (see Future Work in this paper). It is emphasised thatthis synthesis is not exhaustive in the content of the topics being studied or in the number of researchers working inmarine biodiversity in the country. It is, though, considered to be a representative sample of the knowledge in marinescience in Argentina today. This is a starting point for the CoML project in South America and it is hoped that, as itdevelops, it will be improved by the active participation, advice and experience of many other scientists in the region.