Geoinformatics--Hexacoral/LOICZ

URL: http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Hexacoral/

Principal Investigator: Daphne Gail Fautin, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Kansas
Co-Principal Investigator: Robert W. Buddemeier, Geohydrology Section, Kansas Geological Survey

Info from Project Abstract

As part of the Census of Marine Life, we have created a taxonomic database to the Hexacorallia (phylum Cnidaria) that adds to the inventory of sea anemones compiled by Fautin (http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Hexacoral/Biodata/index.html) all species of orders Ceriantharia (tube anemones; by Molodtsova), Scleractinia ("stony" or "true" corals; by Cairns and Veron), and Zoantharia (zoanthids; by Ryland). Specimen-based, it will contain three-dimensional distribution data (including geospatial precision of each record) and bibliographic reference to description of each species.

We have developed and adapted tools to allow interactive analyses of the biological and environmental data, including by visualization on map displays. This project links across spatial scales; greatly augments the minimal biogeographic data available for most benthic marine invertebrates; permits formulation and testing of biogeography and biodiversity models; and supports forecasting and hindcasting of distribution changes due to environmental change.