Biodiversity data collection methods

This page presents the data collection methods used in MaCoBioS for assessing biodiversity and ecological condition in different marine and coastal ecosystems to inform their application in monitoring programmes for management interventions such as Nature-based Solutions

Marine and coastal ecosystems, and the biodiversity they comprise, provide numerous ecosystem goods and services on which people depend. Nonetheless, despite the ecological, economic, and social importance of marine ecosystems, many are being degraded or lost around the world, with serious consequences for both the ecosystems themselves and the services they provide us. Biodiversity is critical for ecosystem function and is, therefore, a key indicator of ecosystem condition. Understanding ways to measure and monitor biodiversity and how it relates to ecosystem condition and ecosystem services provision is a key challenge for marine scientists and practitioners.

Accurate and up-to-date data are essential for making informed decisions regarding the sustainable use of marine resources and ensuring the long-term provision of ecosystem services. By collecting information on species, populations, food webs, and ecological processes, we can gain insights into how these ecosystems function and how they are influenced by natural and human-induced factors. However, the assessment of biodiversity and ecological condition of marine and coastal ecosystems requires a comprehensive and integrated approach. By employing a combination of monitoring methods, it is possible to overcome the limitations of individual techniques and gain a more comprehensive understanding on the state of ecosystems and the pressures affecting them. The integration of various monitoring techniques also enhances the accuracy and reliability of biodiversity and ecological assessments.

MaCoBioS considers the use of diverse data collection methods as being essential for establishing long-term monitoring programmes that collect consistent and comparable data. This information will be essential for practitioners to evaluate the effectiveness of management interventions, such as Nature-based Solutions, and inform adaptive management if necessary. To inform on the use of different methods for monitoring biodiversity, you can find information on those used within MaCoBioS, their main advantages and constraints, and some practical examples about how and where these methods were used in the following table.

METHOD

ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS IT MEASURES

POTENTIAL USES FOR ECOLOGICAL MONITORING

MAIN ADVANTAGES

MAIN CONSTRAINTS

EXAMPLES OF USES FROM MaCoBioS OUTPUTS

Visual census (underwater and terrestrial)

  • Species richness, abundance, distribution
  • Habitat characteristics
  • Accurate estimation of ecosystem health
  • Assessment of ecological change arising from management interventions
  • Identification of dominant functional types
  • Provides detailed habitat characterisation
  • High accuracy
  • Quick and immediate assessment
  • Able to assess marine and terrestrial communities
  • Widespread use therefore considerable historic data to compare against
  • Ad hoc observations/ observer bias limit detailed comparisons of historic and present data
  • Cryptic, pelagic, or rare species generally not observed
  • Generally limited to ~20 m depth (underwater)
  • Limited accessibility depending on ecosystems (terrestrial)
  • Small-scale coverage
  • Requires highly qualified personnel

Fieldwork activities in ecosystems following a gradient of ecological conditions:

  • Bonaire
  • Barbados
  • Martinique
  • France
  • Spain
  • Ireland

Underwater drones (Remotely Operated Vehicles, ROVs)

  • Characterise benthic habitats, including seafloor sediments and substrate types
  • Distribution of deep-sea habitats
  • Condition of benthic habitats based on biological traits assessment
  • Impact of human activities
  • Monitor the spread of invasive species
  • Ecological condition under protection or restoration measures
  • Monitor the diversity of epibenthic (visual) species and their  behaviour
  • Support scientific basis for policy decisions and conservation initiatives
  • Explore deep-sea environments
  • Real-time data
  • Versatility. It can be equipped with various sensors
  • Large scale monitoring of continuous data
  • Non-intrusive
  • Tether length and mobility
  • Dependence on surface support
  • Dependent on weather and sea conditions
  • Power limitations
  • Cost of equipment and need of qualified technicians (ROV operator)

Environmental DNA (eDNA)

  • Analyse DNA traces in water naturally released by species to estimate the biodiversity of a large area
  • Can be used in sites not directly accessible to people (e.g., deep, dangerous)
  • Obtain the most exhaustive list possible of the species present in an area (e.g., fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, etc.)
  • Requires data validation by experts
  • Can detect rare and cryptic species, and bacterial communities
  • Data extracted from water samples, does not require taxonomy specialists in the field
  • Can provide large-scale indicators
  • Can be used in sites not directly accessible to people (e.g., deep, dangerous)
  • Relies on existing reference databases that can be unbalanced in terms of species representation and/or difficult to access
  • Mostly presence/absence data and can deliver false negatives and positives
  • Requires data validation by experts

Water sampling to collect eDNA:

Bioacoustics
  • Assessment of biophonics (sounds of living system) which represents the quantity and diversity of species present within a distance of several hundred metres
  • Detection of species that are difficult to observe (cryptic species)
  • Provide biophonic ’scape indicators
  • Accounts for cryptic species in derived diversity indices
  • Can provide large scale indicators
  • Can be used in sites not directly accessible to people (e.g., deep, dangerous)
  • Possibility of long-term records more in line with many ecological processes
  • Methodology still under development
  • Lack of reference data

Installation of hydrophones in different case studies and ecosystems:

Aerial drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs)

  • Ecosystem extent
  • Spatial patterns of species distribution and impacts of human activities
  • Ecosystem condition indicators
  • Biophysical variables (e.g., Leaf Area Index, Net Primary Productivity)
  • Water quality parameters (e.g., temperature, chlorophyll, turbidity)
  • Detection of spatial and temporal changes
  • Impact Assessment of protection or restoration measures
  • Seascape monitoring
  • Nature-based Solutions (NBS) monitoring
  • Spatial and temporal series
  • High spatial resolution images
  • Can be deployed on user’s demand (e.g., apparition of an algal bloom)
  • Fast and cost effective
  • High accuracy for habitat monitoring
  • Dependent on meteorological conditions
  • Qualified personnel needed
  • Flight license and specific authorisations required in some countries
  • Only relevant for land/shallow waters
  • Not relevant for most biodiversity components
  • Vulnerable to signal loss
Mapping of underwater seagrass beds in the Brusc lagoon, France, with centimetre accuracy

Satellites

  • Ecosystem extent
  • Spatial patterns of species distribution and impacts of human activities
  • Ecosystem condition indicators
  • Biophysical variables (e.g., Leaf Area Index, Net Primary Productivity)
  • Water quality parameters (e.g., temperature, chlorophyll, turbidity)
  • Detection of spatial and temporal changes
  • Modelling and mapping to inform management plans
  • Support the design of spatial management interventions such as Nature-based Solutions (NBS)
  • Continuous spatio-temporal data
  • Coverage over large areas
  • Availability of long-term data series
  • Cost-effective
  • Cloud coverage when optical sensors are used
  • Coarse spatial resolution for some applications
  • Subtidal coverage can be affected by water quality
  • Not suitable for deep habitats
Monitoring of oceanographic variables in waters around Ireland. For more information read the scientific article “Using satellite-based data to facilitate a consistent monitoring of the marine environment around Ireland”
Monitoring mangrove forest extent, composition, and condition. For more information read the scientific article “ A cost-effective method to map mangrove forest extent, composition, and condition in small islands based on Sentinel-2 data: implications for management”.

MaCoBioS has also applied paleoclimatic methods to investigate past changes in coral reef ecosystems and provide new knowledge about how diverse environmental and anthropogenic pressures have affected them. The insights gained from understanding how coral reef ecosystems react to various stressors can assist policymakers and managers in effectively safeguarding them. To know a bit more about the paleoclimatic methods applied in MaCoBioS visit the dissemination blog “Corals: environmental records of the past”. 

Meet the researchers:

Data have been collected in a collaborative manner across a variety of marine coastal ecosystems and study cases. To know more about the different methods and their potential use please contact the following MaCoBios  partners: