A classic view has emphasised increased resource partitioning over geological time and the structuring of communities by competition and predation. There are numerous species not yet described in even the most familiar of ocean environments. For example, regional-scale databases containing records of occurrences of marine algae and invertebrate species do not exist in any form other than simple species lists. Local collections of preserved specimens must be maintained and augmented. In addition, standardisation of currently existing databases of marine organisms and associated environmental information is necessary, and a workshop to establish standards and discuss means of dissemination of information is proposed.
Regional collaboration is necessary for inventorying and monitoring marine biodiversity.
Priorities have been identified for compiling and collating existing information. Click here and go. Microbial diversity is an especially important area of marine research since marine microorganisms comprise a major, poorly understood component of the world's oceanic biota. Numerically and functionally important, but as yet uncultured microbial populations, have been detected by molecular genetic methods in a variety of otherwise sparsely populated regions such as the Sargasso Sea and the deep sea. Free-living marine microorganisms, such as some of the Archea, and symbiotic microorganisms, such as those discovered in association with hydrothermal vent fauna, are of potential commercial interest.