Electronic Supplement 12
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Organisms
Diversity & Evolution 3 (2003) Electronic Supplement 12 |
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Huw J. Griffiths, Katrin Linse, J. Alistair Crame:
SOMBASE -
Southern Ocean Mollusc Database: A tool for biogeographic analysis in diversity
and ecology.
print version: Org. Divers. Evol. 3(3): 207-213. 2003 (full
article)
electr. suppl.: SOMBASE Reference list. pdf-format, 168 KB
Abstract:
Databases and Geographical Information Systems are
becoming increasingly popular tools for biogeographic analysis. The reliability
of the analysis depends on the accuracy of the entered data and the ability to
add changes in systematics and taxonomy. The main aim of the Southern Ocean
Mollusc Database (SOMBASE) project is to set up a database linked with a GIS
and user-friendly front end. This system allows for the inclusion of other taxa
in the future. Currently the database consists of records for 950 shelled
gastropod and 136 bivalve species and 2800 sites from the Southern
Ocean.
The database contains fields including: 1) Taxonomic authorship,
synonyms, higher level classifications, diagnostic morphological characters,
and ecological features; 2) Distributional information including substrate and
depth; 3) Bibliographic information.
The maps can display selected sites
based on any query of any field or combination of fields in the database. An
online version of the database is available with distribution maps for all
taxonomic levels (www.antarctica.ac.uk/SOMBASE).
Key words: GIS,
database, biogeography, distribution, systematics, taxonomy
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