10/30/2019
Nematode Biodiversity and Worldwide Pollution Monitoring was a Darwin Initiative Project active between 1999 and 2002. The project was carried out by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in partnership with the Natural History Museum of London.
To assess the biodiversity of free-living marine nematodes as well as using this group to assess local environmental quality - (nematode identification and statistical analysis of ecological community data) and provision of electronic identification keys to free-living marine nematodes on the Internet.
To create a virtual museum nematode collection to enable scientists to give names to new, undescribed species which can be used by their colleagues whilst the species await formal description in the scientific literature.
To create a virtual museum nematode collection to enable scientists to give names to new, undescribed species which can be used by their colleagues whilst the species await formal description in the scientific literature.
The 'latest' full key for marine nematodes (on which the Darwin key was based) is in the book Warwick RM, Platt HM, Somerfield PJ (1998) Freeliving marine nematodes. Part III. Monhysterids. Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series) No. 53. Field Studies Council, Shrewsbury, UK. 296pp.
A copy of a reduced key in the manual developed by the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the United Kingdom is available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264543436_Meiofauna_in_Marine_Pollution_Monitoring_Programmes_A_Laboratory_Manual
The Nemys database hosted by Ghent University is also be
a good resource for nematode identification and information: http://nemys.ugent.be/
The comprehensive Final Report of the Darwin Nematode Project is entitled Nematode Biodiversity and Worldwide Pollution Monitoring.
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