JAMBIO Coastal Organism Joint Surveys reveals undiscovered biodiversity around Sagami Bay

JAMBIO, Japanese Association for Marine Biology, has been organizing JAMBIO Coastal Organism Joint Surveys at Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, and Misaki Marine Biological Station, the University of Tokyo. The aims of the Surveys are to uncover the benthic marine fauna of the coastal areas in and around Sagami Bay, and to form a collaborative network between marine biologists across Japan. We have so far performed six surveys, with over 100 participants in total, using common equipment such as dredges, bottom mud samplers, and epibenthic sleds. Even in Sagami Bay, one of the most intensively studied marine environments in the world, we have succeeded in collecting about 50 probable undescribed species. Other species were collected for the first time from Sagami Bay or found from previously unreported depth. The Surveys could be useful for ecological and environmental studies as well. We plan to continue the JAMBIO Coastal Organism Joint Surveys to further reveal the rich biodiversity within and around Sagami Bay and to accelerate nationwide research collaborations. We also hope to expand the Surveys to include plants and protists, and to perform them at other areas in Japan. Through the Surveys, we aim to develop new cross-disciplinary research areas and to record the long-term transition of biota along the Japanese coast.