HBOI Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Reference Collection (MBRC)

John Reed1, Shirley Pomponi2, Amy Wright1, M. Dennis Hanisak1, Bryan Botson2, Brian Cousin1, Jennifer Sandle3, Stephanie Farrington4

1 HBOI-FAU, 5600 N US Highway 1, 34946, Fort Pierce, United States; 2 FAU Harbor Branch, 5600 N US Highway 1, 34946, Fort Pierce, United States; 3 HBOI-FAU, HBOI-FAU, United States; 4 HBOI-FAU, 

Corresponding author(s): John ReedShirley Pomponi (spomponi@fau.edu)Amy Wright (awright33@fau.edu)M. Dennis Hanisak (dhanisak@fau.edu)Bryan Botson (bbotson@fau.edu)Brian Cousin (bcousin@fau.edu)Jennifer SandleStephanie Farrington

Received {date}; Revised {date}; Accepted {date}; Published {date}

Citation: Combination of authors, year of data paper publication (in parentheses), Title, Journal Name, Volume, Issue number (in parentheses), and doi of the data paper.

Resource Citation

Resource Citation: HBOI Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Reference Collection (2021), Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University Version, MBRC Data Set.

Abstract

The HBOI Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Reference Collection (MBRC) has archived over 35,000 marine and freshwater specimens from all over the world. The collections began in 1984, were made to depths of 900 m by a multitude of methods, and include almost every marine invertebrate and algal phylum, as well as geological specimens. Users can access taxonomic, habitat, and location data as well as images and videos for thousands of specimens.

Keywords: Occurrence, Specimen

Project details

Project title: HBOI Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Reference Collection
Personnel: John Reed, Shirley Pomponi, Amy Wright, M. Dennis Hanisak, Bryan Botson
Funding: CSBR: Natural History: Augmentation of the HBOI Marine Biotechnology Reference Collection to Enhance Accessibility and Use by a Broader Scientific (National Science Foundation Award #1756187)
Study area descriptions/descriptor: MBRC specimens have been collected from throughout the world, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, southeastern U.S., Pacific Ocean (Galapagos, Cocos Island, Pearl Islands), and eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands, Madeira, Salvage Islands), at depths from intertidal to 914 m.
Design description: MBRC specimens were collected on various expeditions with submersibles, scuba, and snorkeling. Habitats sampled varied from deep-water hard bottom, to deep-coral reefs, to shallow reefs and hard bottom, to mangrove swamps, marshes, pier pilings, and oil rigs. All specimens were collected with informed consent of the host country and with required permits. Documentation of MBRC specimens includes in situ videotapes, in situ photographs, laboratory or “deck” photographs, taxonomic voucher specimens, and notes on habitat and the specimen. Each specimen was assigned a unique number.

Data published through GBIF: https://ipt.idigbio.org/resource?r=mbrc

Taxonomic coverage

Spatial coverage

General spatial coverage: MBRC specimens have been collected from throughout the world, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, southeastern U.S., Pacific Ocean (Galapagos, Cocos Island, Pearl Islands), and eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands, Madeira, Salvage Islands), at depths from intertidal to 914 m.
Coordinates: 90°0'0''S and 90°0'0''N Latitude; 180°0'0''W and 180°0'0''E Longitude 

Temporal coverage: January 1, 1984

Natural collections description

Collection name: HBOI Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Reference Collection
Specimen preservation method: Alcohol

Methods

Method step description: MBRC data are in an MS Access database of metadata for each dive site and specimen collected. The dive site data include fields for date, dive number, latitude, longitude, depth, habitat descriptions, bottom physical parameters, and site notes. The specimen tables have detailed data including collection depth, specimen morphology, color, other physical factors, abundance, associations, and benthic physical factors, as well as metadata for in situ photographs, videotapes, and specimen preservation. A third table contains the taxonomic identification of each specimen, any subsequent revisions of taxonomy, deposition and accession numbers in other archival institutions, and publications and new species data. An MS Access macro can quickly provide the complete data set for any specimen, which includes a direct link to the in situ or deck/lab photo of the specimen.
Study extent description: MBRC specimens have been collected from throughout the world, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, southeastern U.S., Pacific Ocean (Galapagos, Cocos Island, Pearl Islands), and eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands, Madeira, Salvage Islands), at depths from intertidal to 914 m.
Sampling description: Documentation of MBRC specimens includes in situ videotapes, in situ photographs, laboratory or “deck” photographs, taxonomic voucher specimens, and notes on habitat and the specimen. Original photographs were 35-mm images taken of the specimen in situ and in the wet lab (with a ruler for scale and unique specimen ID label). All photos have been digitized with a Nikon LS-2000 scanner, stored on the HBOI server, and linked to the collection database. The in situ videotapes and photographs document the benthic habitats and specimens collected and have resulted in an irreplaceable and invaluable source of data.
Quality control description: All data and images were reviewed by senior staff.  Most staff inputted data into and worked with copies of the database, with Co-PI John Reed the primary person for the database and its security.

Datasets

Dataset description
Object name: Darwin Core Archive HBOI Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Reference Collection (MBRC)
Character encoding: UTF-8
Format name: Darwin Core Archive format
Format version: 1.0
Distribution: https://ipt.idigbio.org/archive.do?r=mbrc
Publication date of data: 2023-03-10
Language: English
Licences of use: Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 License

Metadata language: English
Date of metadata creation: 2021-12-09
Hierarchy level: Dataset