| The
SeamountsOnline database is designed to hold records of species of all metazoan
types that have been found on seamounts globally. The data held within this
system are primarily from published literature, with a few electronic data
sets that have been provided by researchers. This is a work in progress,
with new data being added periodically - please see the Data Contents page
for more information and a description of the current holdings.
Ways
to Search the System
If
you want a list of all the seamounts where a particular species or
genus of interest has been found or a list of all species observed
from a particular seamount or geographic region use Search
for Species
If
you want to choose a seamount of interest and find out what samples
have been taken there, use Search for Samples
If
you want to find literature on seamount ecology, use Search
References
How
To Cite SeamountsOnline - instructions
here
Search
for Species:
Utility:
Through this method you can either list all the seamounts where a particular
species or genus has been found, or retrieve a list of all the species
that have been recorded from a particular seamount or geographic location.
If you are interested in a region but are unsure of seamount names you
wish to search on, follow the link to "Seamount map and list by region."
To
Use: You can choose a taxonomic group of interest and/or
a location of interest. If you fill in a species name and leave the
location blank, you will retrieve a list of all seamount locations where
that species has been found. If you leave the taxonomic area blank and
fill in a seamount name, you will retrieve a list of all species that
have been found on that seamount. At the bottom of the form, you can
indicate what information you are interested in retrieving.
Choosing
a species: You can fill in a genus name or a species name
or both. Searching on a genus name will take you to a list of all the
species in that genus for which we have data, and you can then choose
which you are interested in. For the genus, you can either type the
name into the box on the left, or use the drop down list in the box
on the right. For the species, you can type in a species name. For help
with names, you can access the species
look-up list link, which has a list of most of the species
included, arranged by higher taxonomic group.
Choosing
a location: You may either select one or more seamounts
of interest, or enter the latitude and longitude bounds of a region
of interest (you can not do both).
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Downloading
from "Search for Species"
Once
you have conducted a search, you have six options for downloading data.
All downloaded files include column headers in the first row.
Species
Data (comma delimited text): downloads the data table that
you see on screen as a comma delimited text file.
Species
Data (Excel): downloads the data table on the screen as
an Excel Worksheet.
Species
Data with Sample Data (comma delimited text): Downloads
a comma-delimited text file based on the species data file on screen,
with additional columns holding complete sample information for each
observation (i.e. the gear used, the expedition name, dates collected,
etc.). Note that this can be unwieldy when you have queried for all
species from a given seamount: if a sample had 50 species in it, the
full details of the sample will be repeated in 50 rows, once for each
species. However, it is convenient in that all the data are in a single,
stand-alone file.
Species
Data with Sample Data (Excel): Same as the above, except
that the file is in Excel format.
Separate
Sample Data (comma delimited text): Downloads a comma-delimited
text file containing the full information (i.e. the gear used, the
expedition name, dates collected, Esc) for each sample referenced
in the on-screen table of species. This is designed to act as
a companion to the Species Data file, and contains the same sample
information in the "Species Data with Sample Data" version. This can
be more convenient than the combined "Species Data with Sample Data"
file in that each sample is listed only once. The two files are cross-referenced
through the Sample ID field.
Separate
Sample Data (Excel): Same as the above, except that the
file is in Excel format.
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Search
for Samples:
Utility:
Through this interface, you can select a seamount or seamounts and find
all of the sampling that have been taken there. For the importance of
this information, read A Caution on Seamount
Data. Once you have a list of samples, you can download this or you
can then link to the species found in each sample.
To
Use: Select a seamount name or names by typing one in or
selecting from the list. You can select multiple seamounts by holding
down the control key as you click the mouse button on your choices.
If you are interested in a region but do not know the names of seamounts
in that region, follow the link to the "seamount map and list by region".
Downloading
from "Search for Samples": Once you have conducted a search
you can download the information on the screen as either a comma separated
text file or an Excel worksheet. The data will be presented in a table,
with each row representing a sample. Column headers are given in the
first row.
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Search
References:
Utility:
During the course of this project roughly 1000 literature citations relating
to seamounts have been collected. Some of these provide species distribution
data that are in the system, and some cover other aspects of seamount
systems. The coverage is most complete on the biology of seamounts, with
less thorough coverage of physical, hydrological, chemical, and other
aspects.
To
Use: You can enter search terms in the boxes provided. The
search terms can be an author, a seamount or region name, or another
term found in either the keyword list or the title.
Downloading:
To download the results of your search, you can copy it from the screen
and paste it into a word processor. You can also download the entire
bibliographic database as a text file by following the directions on
the screen.
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