Institute of Biogeosciences, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan.
PLoS One. 2010 Aug 2;5(8):e11836. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011836.
To understand marine biodiversity in Japanese waters, we have compiled information on the marine biota in Japanese waters, including the number of described species (species richness), the history of marine biology research in Japan, the state of knowledge, the number of endemic species, the number of identified but undescribed species, the number of known introduced species, and the number of taxonomic experts and identification guides, with consideration of the general ocean environmental background, such as the physical and geological settings. A total of 33,629 species have been reported to occur in Japanese waters. The state of knowledge was extremely variable, with taxa containing many inconspicuous, smaller species tending to be less well known. The total number of identified but undescribed species was at least 121,913. The total number of described species combined with the number of identified but undescribed species reached 155,542. This is the best estimate of the total number of species in Japanese waters and indicates that more than 70% of Japan's marine biodiversity remains un-described. The number of species reported as introduced into Japanese waters was 39. This is the first attempt to estimate species richness for all marine species in Japanese waters. Although its marine biota can be considered relatively well known, at least within the Asian-Pacific region, considering the vast number of different marine environments such as coral reefs, ocean trenches, ice-bound waters, methane seeps, and hydrothermal vents, much work remains to be done. We expect global change to have a tremendous impact on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Japan is in a particularly suitable geographic situation and has a lot of facilities for conducting marine science research. Japan has an important responsibility to contribute to our understanding of life in the oceans.
为了了解日本水域的海洋生物多样性，我们汇编了日本水域海洋生物的信息，包括已描述物种的数量（物种丰富度）、日本海洋生物学研究的历史、知识状况、特有物种的数量、已鉴定但未描述物种的数量、已确定的引入物种的数量以及分类学专家和鉴定指南的数量，并考虑了一般海洋环境背景，如物理和地质背景。共有 33629 种物种被报告在日本水域出现。知识状况差异极大，含有许多不显眼、较小物种的分类群往往不太为人所知。已鉴定但未描述物种的总数至少为 121913 种。已描述物种的总数加上已鉴定但未描述物种的总数达到 155542 种。这是对日本水域物种总数的最佳估计，表明日本海洋生物多样性的 70%以上仍未被描述。报告引入日本水域的物种数量为 39 种。这是首次尝试估计日本水域所有海洋物种的物种丰富度。尽管其海洋生物群相对来说较为知名，至少在亚太地区范围内如此，但考虑到珊瑚礁、海洋海沟、冰封水域、甲烷渗漏和热液喷口等不同海洋环境的数量众多，仍有许多工作要做。我们预计全球变化将对海洋生物多样性和生态系统产生巨大影响。日本地理位置十分优越，拥有大量进行海洋科学研究的设施。日本有责任为我们对海洋生物的了解做出贡献。
