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GreenSeas was an EU FP7 programme funded to advance the quantitative knowledge of how planktonic marine ecosystems, including phytoplankton, bacterioplankton and zooplankton, will respond to environmental and climate changes. To achieve this GreenSeas employed a combination of observation data, numerical simulations and a cross-disciplinary synthesis to develop a high quality, harmonized and standardized plankton and plankton ecology long time-series, data inventory and information service. This contribution to the programme developed a number of indices to characterize quantitatively the seasonality of phytoplankton (Platt and Sathyendranath, 2008, Racault et al., 2014a). Specifically, indices that relate to the study of timing of periodic biological events as influenced by the environment are referred to as phytoplankton phenology. These indices include: timings of initiation, peak, and termination as well as the duration of the phytoplankton growing period. Changes in phytoplankton phenology (triggered by variations in climate) can profoundly alter: (1) the efficiency of the biological pump, with inevitable impact of the global carbon cycle; and (2) the interactions across trophic levels, which can engender trophic mismatch with major impacts on the survival of commercially important fish and crustacean larvae. Phenology indices were estimated using the R2010.0 reprocessing of Level 3 Mapped chlorophyll-a concentration from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view (SeaWiFS) sensor. The chlorophyll-a data were retrieved from NASA Ocean Color Web http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov for the period 1997-2008 at 9 km spatial resolution and 8-day temporal resolution. Linear interpolation was applied to map the chlorophyll-a concentration onto a 1degreex1degree fixed grid. The phenology indices were estimated following the method described in Racault et al. (2012). Missing chlorophyll-a data were reduced from the time-series prior to estimating the timing of ecological events. Missing values were filled by interpolating spatially adjacent values (average of 3 × 3 pixels on the 9km grid), when these were available. Any remaining missing values were filled by interpolating temporally adjacent values (average of previous and following 8-day composites), when these were available. Otherwise the value was not filled. A 3-week running mean was applied to remove small peaks in chlorophyll-a. The timings of initiation and end of the phytoplankton growing period were detected as the weeks when the chlorophyll concentration in a particular year rose above the long-term median value plus 5% and later fell below this same threshold (Racault et al., 2012). The duration of the growing season is defined as the number of weeks between initiation and end.
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This dataset comprises visual line and point transect surveys, stable isotope, sex determination and genetic studies, geolocation tracking, time-depth and morphometrics of specific seabird species in the Atlantic Ocean along the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ). Data collection was onboard RRS Discovery Cruise DY080 from 06 June 2017 to 02 July 2017 in the North Atlantic Ocean to complete visual line and point transect surveys of seabirds. Seabirds (Fulmarus glacialis, Ardenna gravis, Oceanodroma leucorhoa) were caught and sampled using non-lethal methods, then released unharmed. Feathers, blood, faeces, stomach contents were sampled and morphometrics and moult scores recorded. Seabirds (Ardenna gravis, Calonectris borealis) were captured and released at breeding colonies to allow tracking of their locations and collection of associated tissue samples at Gough Island (November 2016), Kidney Island (January 2017) and Corvo Island (July 2017) in the South Atlantic Ocean. Birds were fitted with a Migrate Technology F100 geolocator. In addition, to record dive behaviour, a subset of birds were fitted with a Cefas G5 Time Depth Recorder. These loggers were recovered and downloaded after 12 or 24 months. Blood and feather samples were collected from the birds at logger deployment and recovery and morphometrics were also recorded for all of the birds. This is a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded grant, reference no. NE/M017990/1 led by Dr Ewan Wakefield, University of Glasgow (Principal Investigator). Grant funded from 04 January 2016 to 03 January 2021. The core aim of the project was to determine how petrels have been affected by recent changes in the climate, how they affect phytoplankton growth and carbon dioxide levels, and how they may respond to future climate change. BODC are the designated repository for long term storage of datasets. BODC currently hold DY080 visual line transect survey data of seabirds, which are available to users on request.
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This dataset consists of silicon isotope data from deep-sea sediment cores taken off southeast Iceland. Samples of sea sponges were collected using piston cores and sediment cores aboard the RV Celtic Explorer in 2008 and dried or frozen for transportation. Organic matter was removed and samples were preserved for later analysis. Sample analysis occurred in 2012 as part of a comprehensive study of the carbon cycle. The data collected form the field component of the NERC-funded project "Unravelling the carbon cycle using silicon isotopes in the oceans". The project aimed to investigate deep sea sponges and the silicon they produce, in an effort to piece together the links between the supply of vital nutrients in different parts of the ocean and the crucial role other marine organisms play in absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in deep sea sediments as organic carbon. The Discovery Science project was composed of New Investigators (FEC) Grant reference NE/J00474X/1 led by Dr. Katherine Rosemary Hendry of Cardiff University, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. The project ran from 26 January 2012 to 30 September 2013. The silicon isotope data have been received by BODC as raw files, and will be processed and quality controlled using in-house BODC procedures and made available online in the near future. The raw files are available on request.
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This dataset consists of the results of the genetic comparison of different species of the genus Jaera, a marine isopod, in the UK and USA. Jaera albifrons, J. forsmani, J. ischiosetosa, J. nordmanni and J. praehirsuta were collected from the underside of rocks at intertidal sites in the the UK. In the USA, J. posthirsuta, J. albifrons, J. ischiosetosa were similarly collected from sites in Maine and Massachusetts. Sample collection took place in 2015 and 2016. Sbf1 gene Restriction site Associated DNA (RAD) libraries were generated from total DNA using Illumina paired end DNA sequencing. In addition, individual microbiomes were characterised for Jaera albifrons, J. ischiosetosa, J. nordmanni, J. posthirsuta from UK populations using 16S rDNA metabarcode amplicon sequencing. The project aimed to assess parallel signatures of evolution across isolated populations and pinpoint regions of elevated genetic differentiation. All sampling and sequencing pipelines were undertaken by Marius Wenzel and Stuart Piertney (University of Aberdeen), with funding from NERC solo grant NE/M015661/1. Data are archived at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
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This dataset comprises life history models of Scombrids, long lived sea-birds, and Kittiwake birds. Existing datasets for these species were used to produce theory predicting the demographic rates that are correlated with suites of life history traits, and then generate more precise posterior estimates of these demographic rates by fitting a structured population model. These models aim to generate new insights about the relationship between life-history traits of marine species, environmental drivers such as resources and mortality, and resilience to anthropogenic or environmental perturbations. The data were generated by the project titled "Informing population models with evolutionary theory to infer species' conservation status" funded by NERC Discovery Science grant NE/P004180/1 led by Professor Jason Matthiopoulos and Dr Catharine Horswill at University of Glasgow Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine.
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Bat species data from the UK Environmental Change Network (ECN) terrestrial sites. The count of individual species is recorded. These data are collected while walking a defined transect using a bat detector at ECN's terrestrial sites using a standard protocol. They represent continuous records (the transects are walked four times each year) from 1993 to 2015. ECN is the UK's long-term environmental monitoring programme. It is a multi-agency programme sponsored by a consortium of fourteen government departments and agencies. These organisations contribute to the programme through funding either site monitoring and/or network co-ordination activities. These organisations are: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru - Natural Resources Wales, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh Government, Natural England, Natural Environment Research Council, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/2588ee91-6cbd-4888-86fc-81858d1bf085
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This dataset consists of fecundity, egg and associated data on female pike (Esox lucius) from net sampling in Windermere. Data collection began in 1963. The data were initially collected by the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) but have been collected by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and its predecessor Institute of Freshwater Ecology (IFE) since 1989. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/4b255fc4-33d3-4beb-a238-37e1a8cf32a2
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This is a dataset on mortality costs and reproductive success from intergroup conflict in banded mongooses, collected from a wild population of banded mongooses on the Mweya Peninsula, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda between 2000-2019. We observed naturally occurring, aggressive interactions between social groups and recorded data on individual mortality occurring during and as a result of fighting. We used long term observations of reproductive events to determine individual reproductive success, measured as the total number of offspring assigned to each individual over the lifetime, and the number of offspring born to each individual from extra-group mating. We recorded data on oestrus events in social groups to determine when focal and rival groups were in oestrus simultaneously, and whether they were involved in an intergroup interaction with each other. These data were collected to examine the fitness costs and benefits of intergroup conflict. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/a1f3d7e5-934f-4b12-ba7c-c372ce9df2c6
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This dataset is a compilation of results obtained from vegetation surveys in the Stalybride estate moorlands (commonly known as the Saddleworth moors) following a wildfire in 2018. Ten plots were established in October 2018 at the post-fire site which were 10 m x 10 m in size. Five plots were identified as suffering a less severe (shallow) burn. The other 5 plots were in areas where a more severe (deep) burn. In all plots the surface vegetation had been removed by the fire exposing the bare peat. The data file contains: (1) On-site post-fire vegetation data – species ID and coverage, and (2) species presence in the one-year post-fire seed bank. The dataset is the result of research in the light of an NERC Urgency grant entitled 'RECOUP-Moor: Restoring Ecosystem CarbOn Uptake of Post-fire Moorland' (NE/S011943/1, led by Dr. Bjorn Robroek of the University of Southampton (now Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/56561ed3-55d0-454c-a6b9-7e633ccf9647
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The data contain measurements of the morphological shape of threespine stickleback from wild, F1 (filial generation 1) lab-reared, and F2-lab (filial generation 2) reared individuals. These last two groups were bred and reared from eggs in the lab. The files are in tps format and so within these contain the information regarding the population, rearing temperature, and scale factor for each specimen. The populations used are coded in a short form format but we also provide a key to decipher these names in csv format. Photos are also made available with corresponding tps files for F2 hybrid fish. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/a566fc20-a371-42a2-8530-9a3cade09261
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