Benthic biota of CIMAR-Fiordos and Southern Ice Field Cruises

Study Extent

The CIMAR-Fiordos Cruises have described, through their sampling, reports and associated publications, a large part of the environments present in the fjords and channels area of southern Chile, both from the biotic and abiotic aspects, evidencing differences in diversity and abundance of different taxa.

Sampling

The database of 8854 occurrences considers all records from benthic sampling, using the following tools: Agassiz or modified Agassiz trawl (3625 occurrences), Box corer (3010), Scuba and intertidal sampling (1097), Van Veen and other combined sampling devices (874) and undetermined sampling device (248).

Quality Control

All data from occurrence records were tabulated and arranged in spreadsheets according to the DarwinCore standard (Wieczorek et al. 2012, Plata et al. 2020), then analyzed as a whole, considering a taxonomic review and update (WoRMS Editorial Board (2021).

Method steps

1. Using the literature available in the book of the 25 years of the CIMAR cruises (CONA 2021), the different projects participating in each of the Campos de Hielo Sur 1995 campaign and CIMAR-Fiordos cruises were identified, which reported benthic biota, using different seabed sampling gear, from the intertidal to the deep sea. Data were selected from official information sources (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Data Center of the Chilean Navy [http://www.shoa.cl/n_cendhoc/] and National Oceanographic Committee of Chile [http://www.cona.cl/]), using the searching for articles on the World Wide Web as a reference; all information sources were downloaded, organized and systematized. For each corresponding paper or report, all the records of the declared benthic biota were extracted, comparing and/or complementing the records present in both publications and papers.

The dataset includes 1,225 species from 24 different phyla, belonging four kingdoms.

1. Annelida
   rank: phylum
2. Arthropoda
   rank: phylum
3. Ascomycota
   rank: phylum
4. Brachiopoda
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5. Bryozoa
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6. Chlorophyta
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7. Chordata
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8. Ciliophora
   rank: phylum
9. Cnidaria
   rank: phylum
10. Echinodermata
    rank: phylum
11. Foraminifera
    rank: phylum
12. Gastrotricha
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13. Hemichordata
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14. Kinorhyncha
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15. Mollusca
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16. Myzozoa
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17. Nematoda
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18. Nemertea
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19. Ochrophyta
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20. Platyhelminthes
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21. Porifera
    rank: phylum
22. Priapulida
    rank: phylum
23. Rhodophyta
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24. Sipuncula
    rank: phylum
25. Animalia
    rank: kingdom
26. Chromista
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27. Fungi
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28. Plantae
    rank: kingdom
29. Clitellata
    rank: class
30. Polychaeta
    rank: class
31. Arachnida
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32. Branchiopoda
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33. Hexanauplia
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34. Malacostraca
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35. Ostracoda
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36. Pycnogonida
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37. Thecostraca
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38. Rhynchonellata
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39. Gymnolaemata
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40. Stenolaemata
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41. Actinopteri
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42. Ascidiacea
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43. Elasmobranchii
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44. Myxini
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45. Anthozoa
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46. Hydrozoa
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47. Asteroidea
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48. Crinoidea
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49. Echinoidea
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50. Holothuroidea
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51. Ophiuroidea
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52. Graptolithoidea
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53. Aplacophora
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54. Bivalvia
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55. Caudofoveata
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56. Cephalopoda
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57. Gastropoda
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58. Polyplacophora
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59. Scaphopoda
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60. Demospongiae
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61. Sipunculidea
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62. Globothalamea
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63. Monothalamea
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64. Nodosariata
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65. Tubothalamea
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66. Dinophyceae
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67. Phaeophyceae
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68. Dothideomycetes
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69. Ulvophyceae
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70. Bangiophyceae
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71. Florideophyceae
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The fjords and channels of southern Chile present unique oceanographic conditions, with an extensive coastline and diversity of intertidal and subtidal environments, mostly explained by the variable influence of oceanic, glacial and pluvial waters; this makes them highly sensitive to environmental pressures (climate change, marine pollution, fishing extraction, among other stressors) (Fernández et al. 2000).