Research Infrastructures offer capacity to address scientific questions never attempted before: Are all taxa equal?
Authors: Arvanitidis Christos D , Warwick Richard M , Somerfield Paul J , Pavloudi Christina , Pafilis Evangelos , Oulas Anastassis , Chatzigeorgiou Giorgos , Gerovasileiou Vasilis , Patkos Theodoros , Bailly Nicolas , Hernandez Francisco , Vanhoorne Bart , Vandepitte Leen , Appeltans Ward , Adlard Robert , Adriaens Peter , Kee-Jeong Ahn , Shane Ahyong , Nesrine Akkari , Anderson Gary , Martin Angel , Arango Claudia , Artois Tom , Atkinson Stephen , Bank Ruud , Barber Anthony D , Barbosa Joao P , Bartsch Ilse , Bellan-Santini Denise , Bernot Jimmy , Berta Annalisa , Bieler Rüdiger , Błażewicz Magda , Bock Phil , Böttger-Schnack Ruth , Bouchet Philippe , Boury-Esnault Nicole , Boxshall Geoff , Boyko Christopher B , Nunes Brandão Simone , Bray Rod , Bruce Niel L , Cairns Stephen , Campinas Bezerra Tania N , Cárdenas Paco , Chan Benny KK , Chan Tin-Yam , Cheng Lanna , Churchill Morgan , Corbari Laure , Cordeiro Ralf , Cornils Astrid , Crandall Keith A , Cribb Thomas , D'hondt Jean-Loup , Daly Meg , Daneliya Mikhail , Dauvin Jean-Claude , Davie Peter , De Broyer Claude , De Mazancourt Valentin , De Voogd Nicole , Decker Peter , Defaye Danielle , Dijkstra Henk , Dohrmann Martin , Domning Daryl , Downey Rachel , Drapun Inna , Eisendle-Flöckner Ursula , Ewers-Saucedo Christine , Faber Marien , Figueroa Diego , Finn Julian , Fonseca Gustavo , Fordyce Ewan , Foster William , Furuya Hidetaka , Galea Horia , Garcia-Alvarez Oscar , Garic Rade , Gasca Rebeca , Gaviria-Melo Santiago , Gerken Sarah , Gibson David , Gil João , Gittenberger Arjan , Glasby Chris , Gofas Serge , Gómez-Noguera Samuel E , González-Solís David , Gordon Dennis , Grabowski Michal , Gravili Cinzia , Guerra-García José M , Guidetti Roberto , Guilini Katja , Hadfield Kerry A , Hendrycks Ed , Herrera Bachiller , Ho Ju-Shey , Høeg Jens , Holovachov Oleksandr , Hooge Matthew D , Hooper John , Horton Tammy , Hughes Lauren , Hyžný Matús , Moretti Luiz IF , Iseto Tohru , Ivanenko Viatcheslav N , Jarms Gerhard , Jaume Damià , Jazdzewski Krzysztof , Karanovic Ivana , Kim Young-Hyo , King Rachael , Klautau Michelle , Kolb Jürgen , Kotov Alexey , Krapp-Schickel Traudl , Kremenetskaia Antonina , Kristensen Reinhardt , Kroh Andreas , Kullander Sven , La Perna Rafael , LeCroy Sara , Leduc Daniel , Lemaitre Rafael , Lörz Anne-Nina , Lowry Jim , Macpherson Enrique , Madin Larry , Mamos Tomasz , Manconi Renata , Marshall Bruce , Marshall David J , Martin Patrick , McInnes Sandra , Mees Jan , Meidla Tõnu , Merrin Kelly , Miljutin Dmitry , Mills Claudia , Mokievsky Vadim , Molodtsova Tina , Mooi Rich , Morandini André C , Moreira Da Rocha Rosana , Moretzsohn Fabio , Mortelmans Jonas , Mortimer Jeanne , Musco Luigi , Neubauer Thomas A , Neubert Eike , Neuhaus Peter NG , Nguyen Anh D , Nielsen Claus , Norenburg Jon , O'Hara Tim , Okahashi Hisayo , Opresko Dennis , Osawa Masayuki , Ota Yuzo , Paulay Gustav , Perrier Vincent , Perrin William , Petrescu Iorgu , Picton Bernard , Pilger John F , Pisera Andrzej , Polhemus Dan , Poore Gary , Reimer James D , Reip Hans , Reuscher Michael , Rios Lopez Pilar , Rius Marc , Rützler Klaus , Rzhavsky Alexander , Saiz-Salinas José , Sartori André F , Schatz Heinrich , Schierwater Bernd , Schmidt-Rhaesa Andreas , Schneider Simon , Schönberg Christine , Senna André R , Serejo Cristiana , Shaik Shabuddin , Shamsi Shokoofeh , Sharma Jyotsna , Shenkar Noa , Shinn Andrew , Sicinski Jacek , Siegel Volker , Sierwald Petra , Simmons Elizabeth , Sinniger Frederic , Sivell Duncan , Sket Boris , Smit Harry , Smol Nicole , Souza-Filho Jesser F , Spelda Jörg , Stampar Sérgio N , Stienen Eric , Stoev Pavel , Stöhr Sabine , Strand Malin , Suárez-Morales Eduardo , Summers Mindi , Swalla Billie J , Taiti Stefano , Tanaka Masaatsu , Tandberg Anne H , Tang Danny , Tasker Mark , ten Hove Harry , ter Poorten Jan J , Thomas Jim , Thuesen Erik V , Thuy Ben , Timi Juan T , Todaro Antonio , Turon Xavier , Uetz Peter , Utevsky Sergiy , Vacelet Jean , Väinölä Risto , van der Meij Sancia ET , van Haaren Ton , Venekey Virág , Vos Chris , Walker-Smith Genefor , Walter Chad T , Watling Les , Wayland Matthew , Whipps Christopher , Williams Gary , Wilson Robin , Yasuhara Moriaki , Zanol Joana , Zeidler Wolfgang 
Published: April 2018

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are facilities, resources and services used by the scientific community to conduct research and foster innovation. LifeWatch ERIC has developed various virtual research environments, which include many virtual laboratories (vLabs) offering high computational capacity and comprehensive collaborative platforms that supporting the needs of digital biodiversity science. Over its 250 years of history, the taxonomic research community has developed a system for describing, classifying and naming taxa across multiple levels. For the marine biota, taxonomic information is organized and made publicly available through the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) that records more than 250,000 described valid species. Although scientists tend to assign an equal status (in terms of contribution to overall diversity) to each taxon used in taxonomy, biogeography, ecology and biodiversity, the question “are all taxa equal?” has never been tested at a global scale. We present evidence that this question can be addressed by applying relatedness indices (Taxonomic Distinctness) over the entire WoRMS metazoan tree. The RvLab, developed by the LifeWatchGreece RI, operating on a high-performance computer cluster, has been used to meet the high computational demands required for such an analysis at a global scale.