In the case of coral reefs, 2 groups of islands, which are the habitats of several endemic species, can be used as an alternative index. For deep-sea ecosystems, complementary analysis of species composition can be used to select sites with unique combinations of vent and seep communities [34]. For offshore pelagic ecosystems, the uniqueness and rarity in the ocean physical/current system must be evaluated because of the limited information about this criterion with respect to pelagic plankton species. The most useful information for the quantification of criterion

1 is an endemic species list. However, accumulated information on the distribution of endemic species is insufficient in Japanese waters, especially for offshore pelagic and deep-sea areas. To overcome this bias, it is important to clarify the relationships between research efforts and the Linsitinib mouse distribution of endemic species. In addition, biased distribution of endemic species may occur as a result of the duration, speed, or location of evolution. Additional research is required on these topics. Typical scale mismatch can occur when using different sources of information on endemic species. For example, a globally defined endemic species may occur at many sites within a certain region.

If the study area is limited to this region, the species cannot be used as an indicator of this criterion. In contrast, some globally common selleck kinase inhibitor species may

be rare in some regions. In such cases, the distribution of species in the focal area can be used as an index for this criterion if the research area in confined to the specific region. This criterion is defined as, “areas that are required for a population to survive and thrive,” [5]. This criterion is intended to identify the areas required for the survival, reproduction, and critical life-history stages of individual species, such as breeding sites, Rebamipide nesting grounds, spawning areas, and way stations of mobile species. Alternatively, this criterion can be evaluated by considering the metapopulation structures of major marine species. Source populations revealed by molecular genetics analyses should be ranked higher than sink populations for this criterion. Furthermore, recent developments in the bio-tracking of animals can be used to evaluate this criterion by indicating which specific locations within the area are important for the total life history of the target species [35]. This study investigated whether there is information regarding the use of certain habitats by key mobile fauna as well as the genetic connectivity of fundamental species. For the kelp community in Hokkaido, fishery catch data on 7 key species by the local government can be used as an alternative index of this criterion.