Digitizing Pacific Coast Seaweeds: Documenting the Past to Interpret the Future

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The magnificent diversity and abundance of seaweeds along the Pacific Coast of California, Oregon, and Washington reflect this region's rich coastal environments. In this project, the University Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley (UC) will image, database, geo-reference, and curate 102,000 specimens of Pacific Coast algae. Targeted species will be all marine macroalgae (seaweeds) that are known to grow in California, Oregon, or Washington, wherever in the world they occur. Once completed, the specimen records will complement our existing on-line resources, forming a seaweed information interchange of authoritative, up-to-date data. Combined, this resource will contain the latest information on identification, taxonomy, distribution, ecology, relationships, and diversity of Pacific Coast marine flora. Seaweeds are the engineers of near shore environments, providing primary production and habitat for intertidal and sub-tidal communities, creating substrate and structure for myriad marine organisms and their developing larvae (including many commercially important species). The dataset to be completed will help to meet the urgent national need to predict, interpret, and act upon the effects of climate change on the marine environment. The information will be useful for marine scientists, as well as for those concerned with marine fisheries, conservation, teaching, and learning about the Pacific Coast.