MotivationThe BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community‐led open‐source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.Main types of variables includedThe database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.Spatial location and grainBioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1,000,000,000,000 cm2).Time period and grainBioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year.Major taxa and level of measurementBioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.Software format.csv and .SQL.

Time series from an extensive research survey of juveniles of cod Gadus rnorhua, p~l i a~k Pollachius pollachius and whiting Merlangius rnerlangus sampled from 1919 to 1994 at 38 stations along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast were investigated. Spatial and temporal analyses were performed to study the spatial pattern of the temporal dynamics of the 3 fish species. Spatially consistent variations were detected in abundance, year-to-year fluctuation as well as in periodicity. The spatial heterogeneity occurred at a mesoscale (differences hetween fjords) and at a local scale (differences hetween stations within a fjord) for the 3 gadoids. However, the magnitude of the spatial heterogeneity differed hetween species. Cod and whiting, which were more abundant in sheltered areas, showed higher spatial variahility than pollack, which was more abundant in exposed locations. In this way, the spatial pattern of abundance appeared to be linked to the scale of variability oi the species. AJl3 species exhibit periodic fluctuations of 2 to 2.5 yr in their optimal habitats, which probably resulted from intrinsic interactions in age-structured populations, such as density-dependent competition and cannibalism. In addition, all the species exhibited long-term trends possibly due to extrinsic forces, such as environmental changes or anthropogenic influences.

We tested whether the long-term fluctuations in abundance of 0-group cod Gadus morhua and pollack Pollachius pollachius sampled from 1919 to 1994 at 38 stations along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast might be related to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The short-and long-term fluctuations of both species exhibited different spatial structures and were probably of different origins. The former, which were previously shown to be related to biotic interactions, displayed signif~cant highest similarities across the smallest scales (0 to 21 km). In contrast, the long-term fluctuat~ons were similar at a larger scale (equal to or larger than the Norwegian Skagerrak coast) and were probably due to extrinsic factors. We have shown that the climatic conditions along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast and the fluctuations of Calanus finmarchicus in the Skagerrak were closely assoc~ated with the NAO. Long-term fluctuations of cod and pollack were, however, not associated linearly or non-linearly with the NAO or C. finmarchicus. Trends of cod and pollack appeared to be related to the long-term fluctuations in the bottom sea grass coverage, mainly constituted by Zostera marina, and it cannot be dismissed that fishing has contributed to the recent decline of these fish populations. We also conclude that the postsettlement period is crucial for these populations because of competition for space.

In order to adequately monitor biodiversity trends through time and their responses to natural or anthropogenic impacts, researchers require long time series that are often unavailable. This general lack of datasets that are several decades or longer makes establishing a background or baseline of diversity metrics difficult - especially when attempting to understand species composition changes against a backdrop of climate and ecological variability. Here, we present an analysis of a community of juvenile nearshore fishes based on nearly 8 decades of highly standardized Norwegian survey records. Using multivariate statistical techniques, we: (i) characterize the change in taxonomic community composition through time, (ii) determine whether there has been an increase in warm-water affinity species relative to their cold water affinity counterparts, and (iii) characterize the temporal change in the species' functional trait assemblage. Our results strongly indicate a shift toward a novel fish assemblage between the late 1990s and 2000s. The context of changes within the most recent two decades is in stark contrast to those during the 1960s and 1970s, but similar to those during the previous warm period during the 1930s and 1940s. This novel assemblage is tightly linked to the warming temperatures in the region portrayed by the increased presence of warm-water species and a higher incidence of pelagic, planktivorous species. The results indicate a clear influence of ocean temperature on the region's juvenile fish community that points to climate-mediated effects on the species assemblages of an important fish nursery area.

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Johannessen, T., Dahl, E., Falkenhaug, T., and Naustvoll, L. J. 2012. Concurrent recruitment failure in gadoids and changes in the plankton community of the Norwegian Skagerrak coast after 2002. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 795–801. Since 1919, annual beach-seine sampling has been carried out along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast with the main objective of measuring the abundance of 0-group gadoids. Repeated incidents of abrupt and persistent recruitment collapses in gadoid populations have been observed locally. These collapses have been linked to gradual eutrophication, which has resulted in abrupt changes in the plankton community and deprivation of adequate prey for 0-group fish. Since 2002, the recruitment of 0-group gadoids has been very poor along the Skagerrak coast on a regional scale. At the same time, major changes in the plankton community have been observed. A regular and pronounced autumn bloom dominated by red-tide forming dinoflagellates such as large Ceratium spp. and the toxic Karenia mikimotoi has practically vanished, and a linear decrease in oxygen concentration at intermediate depths (30 m) that has been evident since the 1960s, was reversed around 2002. These changes would normally indicate improved environmental conditions. However, the recruitment failure in gadoids does not support this perception. Rather, the evidence points towards a potential shift in the plankton community that has resulted in gadoid recruitment failure.

Regular monitoring of phytoplankton has been carried out on the Norwegian Skagerrak coast three times a week since 1989, and samples from the upper 3 m of the water column have been analysed for chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations and dominant species. Selected potentially toxic or harmful species of phytoplankton have also been quantified. Chl a appears to fluctuate considerably on a short time scale (2-3 days), and simple analyses suggest that Chl a should be measured at least twice a week to obtain reliable annual estimates. By contrast, at the inshore monitoring station Chl a is significantly correlated with transect measurements across most of the Skagerrak, indicating a high spatial homogeneity. Hence, measurements at the inshore stations are likely to reflect concentrations over a large area and meteorological conditions are suggested to be the most likely driving force controlling the variability. The traditional view of a marked spring and autumn bloom in temperate stratified waters does not seem to be a predominant feature of the production cycle in the Skagerrak. In fact, Chl a concentrations >4 g l 1 rarely last for more than a week. In addition to short-term variability, there is also high inter-annual variability in the production cycle. This picture is reinforced by large variations in species composition of the phytoplankton community; the abundance of all species analysed varies substantially from one year to the next. 1998 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea