Abstract:

This dataset contains a comprehensive list of approximately 360 species comprised of all known marine mammals, marine reptiles, and complete clades of select invertebrate groups (e.g. corals, sea cucumbers, cone snails, oysters, cephalopods, and lobsters) present in the Gulf of Mexico. Data for each species include a number of biological and ecological traits and where possible, an estimated petrochemical vulnerability ranking.

Suggested Citation:

Polidoro, Beth. 2021. Species-specific data and petrochemical vulnerability rankings for marine tetrapods and complete clades of select marine invertebrates in the Gulf of Mexico. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/ERNT92FX

Purpose:

To provide a comprehensive list of biological and ecological traits of invertebrates and tetrapods in the Gulf of Mexico for use in a trait-based ranking framework for estimating species' petrochemical vulnerabilities.

Data Parameters and Units:

Species list, biological and ecological trait data (textual or numerical), vulnerability rankings (ex: 1-100).

Methods:

The original, multi-taxonomic petrochemical vulnerability framework identified 18 species traits, grouped into three categories: 9 traits related to likelihood of petrochemical exposure, 5 traits related to species sensitivity, and 4 traits related to population resilience (Polidoro et al. 2020). A comprehensive species list was compiled for select groups of marine invertebrates in complete taxonomic clades (e.g. all known taxonomically valid cone snails, cephalopods, sea cucumbers, lobsters and reef-building corals) representing a total of 188 species. Similarly, a comprehensive list of all known marine mammals (27 species), marine reptiles (9 species) and seabirds (136 species) was also compiled. The seabird list was initially created using the GulfBase database (GulfBase | Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research | Species ), which was revised following the definition of a sea bird according to Birdlife International (Croxall et al. 2012). To be considered for inclusion, a large portion of the bird’s population must utilize the marine environment for resources or have a large role in the marine ecosystem food web for at least part of the year to be considered a true seabird. To score petrochemical vulnerability rankings, extensive trait data were collected for all 188 invertebrates and all 172 tetrapods. However, as of July 2021, some trait data are still missing and/or are under review for the tetrapods. For the invertebrates, all trait data are relatively complete, with the exception of distribution maps for the coral species, which are still being reviewed in order to calculate the oil exposure scores. For these reasons, petrochemical vulnerability scores for the tetrapods are not yet calculated, and the petrochemical vulnerability scores for the invertebrates should be interpreted with caution, especially as the coral maps are undergoing revision and the preliminary results presented here are still awaiting peer-review.

Provenance and Historical References:

Croxall, John P., Stuart H.M. Butchart, Ben Lascelles, Alison J. Stattersfield, Ben Sullivan, Andy Symes, and Phil Taylor. 2012. Seabird conservation status, threats and priority actions: a global assessment. Bird Conservation International, 22(1), 1-34. DOI: 10.1017/S0959270912000020 Polidoro, Beth, Cole W. Matson, Mary Ann Ottinger, D. Abigail Renegar, Isabel C. Romero, Daniel Schlenk, John Pierce Wise Sr., Jesus Beltran González, Peter Bruns, Kent Carpenter, Dorka Cobian Rojas, Tracy K. Collier, Thomas F. Duda Jr., Patricia Gonzalez-Diaz, Richard DI Giulio, R. Dean Grubbs, J. Christopher Haney, John P. Incardona, Guillermo Horta-Puga, Christi Linardich, Jon A. Moore, Daniel Pech, Susana Perera Valderrama, Gina M. Ralph, Kyle Strongin, Amy H. Ringwood, and Bernd Wursig. 2021. A multi-taxonomic framework for assessing relative petrochemical vulnerability of marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico. Science of The Total Environment, 763, p.142986. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142986 Woodyard, Megan, Beth Polidoro, Matson CW, McManamay RA, Saul S, Kent E. Carpenter, Tracy K. Collier, Richard Di Giulio, R. Dean Grubbs, John P. Incardona, Christi Linardich, Jon A. Moore, Isabel C. Romero, Daniel Schlenk, Kyle Strongin. in submission. A comprehensive vulnerability petrochemical vulnerability index for marine fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. Science of The Total Environment.

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