Nannotax: a web taxonomy resource for nannoplankton research, training and reference

Coccolithophores are single-celled, marine algae (phytoplankton), which produce elaborate calcite scales (coccoliths) that form a protective covering around their delicate cell walls. They are an important part of the modern marine ecosystem, but also have a long fossil record (nannofossils) stretching back 225 million years (Triassic). Both living and fossil coccolithophores provide valuable information about ocean environments and changing climate. The fossils also provide a simple and quick means of age-dating the rocks in which they are found. For these reasons, coccolithophores are of interest to a very wide range of scientists, including marine biologists, palaeoceanographers and geologists (stratigraphers). The effective use of coccolithophores is dependent upon the availability of up to date and reliable information concerning their classification (taxonomy - which species is which, and why?), their ecology (which species live where, when and why?) and their geological history (which species lived when and where?). However, this information is frequently difficult to find because it is dispersed throughout specialist publications. In order to widen access to this crucial information, we have started work on a web resource called Nannotax (www.nannotax.org) that we hope will become the online reference source for anyone needing to obtain basic to specialist information on coccolithophores and nannofossils. Our pilot version focused on the relatively recent, Neogene, fossil record (0-23 million years ago) and has already proved popular, registering 670,000 page views and 275 registered users. We now aim to build on this, and will add more species (the older fossil record, plus all the living species), add more types of data (age, ecology and, where appropriate, biology), expand the content (glossary, guides to identification and methods of study) and bring the site to the attention of those who will most benefit from it. The end-product Nannotax website will provide a complete listing of living and fossil coccolithophore and nannofossil taxa, with short descriptions, age data, multiple illustrations, bibliographic references and original descriptions. There will be identification keys and linked pages providing information on study methods. In parallel, we will provide hands-on training in the use and potential of the system, and respond to requests from those who have 'test-driven' the system at workshops and conferences. We think that the development of this system is essential to the hydrocarbon industry and to academics and educators involved in nannoplankton research, training and learning. By removing the barriers to learning nannoplankton taxonomy, identifying specimens and obtaining accurate information about species, existing users will be enabled to expand their expertise, and we believe it will also attract a range of new users. To ensure that we are providing the right kind of information for this wide range of scientists, we have enlisted the support of project partners who represent international biologists, oceanographers, geologists and oil company stratigraphers, who will both provide us with data, and also review and comment upon our progress and product.

We believe that development of this system is essential to the hydrocarbon industry and to academics involved in nannoplankton research, training and learning, and this is backed up by our Project Partner letters. By lowering the barriers to learning taxonomy, identifying specimens and obtaining accurate information on taxa, existing users will be enabled to expand their expertise and we will be able to broaden the community of users. Indeed, making this breadth of data readily available is an untried experiment for micro-organisms, and we hope it will attract an interesting range of new users. However, some specific categories of users who will definitely benefit include:

Industrial biostratigraphers - Nannofossil biostratigraphy is a widely used tool in hydrocarbon exploration, and biosteering of horizontal wells has resulted in significant new recruitment of junior nannofossil biostratigraphers. Typical recruits have only limited taxonomic expertise, and training them is a real challenge for the sector. The currently-available Nannotax content is already being used for this, and the extended content will greatly increase the ability of novice biostratigraphers to rapidly expand their expertise.

Palaeoceanographers - Nannofossils are extensively used in palaeoceanography studies, both to provide a time-framework for the research (biostratigraphy) and for interpretation of environments and ecology. This work requires accurate identifications, but palaeoceanographers, especially MSc and PhD students, also have to learn many other skills and no longer have the time to undertake extensive taxonomic literature research. By making authoritative taxonomic data readily available, Nannotax will make nannofossil-based palaeoceanography much more practicable.

Plankton biologists and oceanographers - In this area, as in palaeoceanography, taxonomy is no longer an arcane art, of interest only to a limited set of experts, but rather a basic tool needed for a wide range of climate change, population biology, biogeochemical and molecular genetic studies. Nannoplankton identification is not intrinsically difficult, and through Nannotax we will make it accessible to any interested researcher or student.

In summary, Nannotax will make authoritative information on nannofossil and extant coccolithophore taxonomy readily accessible, and we anticipate that it will result in a significant increase in the volume and quality of pure and applied studies of this key group. We also believe that it will raise the benchmark for online availability of data on other microfossil and plankton groups, and so stimulate further online resources.