In this month's "A Fons" we interview Elena Guerrero, curator and conservator of the Scientific-Technical Service of the Marine Biological Reference Collections of ICM-CSIC.
Elena Guerrero, curator and conservator of the Marine Biological Reference Collections Service (CBMR) at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), has dedicated her career to the study of marine biodiversity. Her experience includes collaborations with national and international institutions, contributing with samples and key data for research. Guerrero specialises in the taxonomy and geographical distribution of planktonic cnidarians and tunicates, a field she explored in her doctoral thesis at ICM and the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona in 2017. Since her early days in 2005, she has worked on the identification of gelatinous zooplankton alongside with Francesc Pagès and has built a career of collaboration and conservation that maintains the CBMR as a reference in marine biodiversity, both locally and globally through the GBIF portal. Today, she shares her vision on the work, challenges, and impact of these collections on science and society.
Can you tell us the history of the CBMR at ICM?
The CBMR emerged in 1975 from the need to catalogue ichthyological specimens (fish) as a reference for published studies and future research, thanks to the efforts of pioneers such as Conchita Allué, Jaume Rucabado, and Domingo Lloris. The collection was institutionalised in 1982 and recognised by the Ministry of Culture in 1986. Since 1991, it has expanded to include crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs, becoming a Technical Service of ICM. After periods of inactivity due to a lack of personnel, it was reactivated in 2010 under the leadership of researchers such as Pere Abelló, Antoni Lombarte, and Roger Villanueva, and new technical staff such as Félix Pérez, Francisco Olivas, Ricardo Santos and Alicia Duró were brought in. The present state and success of a collection are thanks to all the people who have collaborated with dedication and enthusiasm throughout its history. I joined in 2019, after another period of inactivity, focusing on sample conservation, attending to the scientific community, and publishing data in open access. A key achievement has been increasing the visibility of the collections and fostering collaboration networks, such as the Spanish Marine Collections Network in 2021.
What scientific value does this collection have, and how does it support the work of ICM-CSIC researchers?
The CBMR houses a wide range of biodiversity, from microorganisms to fish and cnidarians. Most specimens come from the Mediterranean, but we also have samples from all five oceans. Each catalogued specimen contains key information about its collection, such as coordinates, date, depth, and taxonomic data. These collections are fundamental for the discovery of new species, taxonomic revisions, studies on invasive species, and genetic analyses.
What are the greatest challenges in preserving specimens, and how has this work evolved?
The main challenges include environmental control of the facilities and the conservation of liquids (mainly 70% alcohol). The temperature must be maintained between 19 and 21°C to ensure sample preservation. Another related challenge is minimising evaporation and maintaining the levels and concentration of alcohol preserving the specimens. The most important aspect is ensuring the hermeticity of the containers holding the specimens and monitoring the alcohol concentration to prevent any deterioration before it is too late to address. Some of these samples are over 100 years old and must ideally last "forever," or for as long as possible.
How has digitisation and open access changed interactions with the collections?
International biodiversity data platforms, such as GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility), have greatly improved accessibility and the use of data, as well as collaborations and services that the collections can offer to scientific teams, education, administrations, and the general public. Thanks to these platforms and having data in open access, researchers worldwide can know what specimens we have and request loans or detailed information. Moreover, the data provided by the collections are used for environmental decision-making, broader research, and educational purposes. Therefore, the data are published following the FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, following an internationally agreed standardisation.
What daily tasks are carried out to keep the collection in optimal condition?
Regarding conservation, the environmental conditions, primarily temperature, are reviewed, and alcohol levels are checked. To ensure data quality, old records are revised and updated, while new data from incoming specimens are introduced and standardised.
Which resources have been key to maintaining and enriching the collection over the years?
The fundamental resource for the maintenance and functioning of the CBMR, like any other biological collection, is human personnel. Without technical staff, a collection cannot function, be maintained, or provide service. Currently, only one person is fully dedicated to the collections, which is me. With one person, the functioning and minimum services are maintained, so we are excited to think that we will have more personnel shortly to continue improving as a service. Additionally, it is crucial to have sufficient space to house the large number of collection specimens that meets the necessary safety and conservation measures. Here, we also have a laboratory where all sample preparations and preservation liquids are made, which is essential for our work.
How do collection data contribute to understanding marine biodiversity and ecology?
They play a fundamental role in understanding biodiversity, distribution, evolution, and marine biodiversity ecology. There is still a significant knowledge gap about marine biodiversity and its distribution compared to terrestrial biodiversity. It is estimated that between 75% to 90% of marine diversity remains undescribed, as the marine environment is hostile for humans and difficult, costly (economically and humanly), and dangerous to access, especially in deeper areas, which make up 60% of the planet, with 98% of ocean volume below 2000 m depth.
What scale are we talking about?
The ICM marine collections house nearly 40,000 marine records, many of which have been collected at great depths (up to 3800 m), mainly through oceanographic surveys. Having these specimens available to researchers and science is truly a "luxury" at all levels, which we must value as citizens, the scientific community, and the administration. Ultimately, this helps discover new species, better understand marine biodiversity, reducing the previously mentioned knowledge gap, review and improve known taxonomic classifications, comprehend marine genetic diversity, and understand species ecology and geographical distribution patterns over time, considering factors such as climate change and invasive species introduction.
What outreach initiatives bring this knowledge closer to society?
The CBMR participates in open days, student visits from schools, colleges, and universities, and outreach projects such as Petits Oceanògrafs. We have created a small permanent exhibition displaying specimens of the main animal groups housed at CBMR. Additionally, during the summer months, we host undergraduate students who undertake internships in our facilities, learning about the collections, their operation, and daily management.
What opportunities do CBMR offer for population and phylogenetic studies?
In recent years, genetic studies have been carried out especially with specimens of cephalopod molluscs and decapod crustaceans that we have deposited in the collections or that are deposited after carrying out these studies, so that they remain as a reference for the research that is published. All these results have helped to better understand both the populations and phylogenies of different species of both groups of animals. We have also initiated a new collection of fishes fixed and preserved only in alcohol with the aim that it can be used in future genetic studies. This is an increasingly evolving field that can help us to understand the evolution and genetic variability of different species, as well as help in the conservation of biodiversity. However, biological collections still face major basic challenges such as lack of funding, personnel, and administrative recognition, which can lead to the loss of collections and thus of this whole source of knowledge and opportunities.
Do you think CBMR and biological collections, in general, can influence marine conservation policies?
Absolutely. Biological collections in general and CBMRs in particular, with their openly published biodiversity data, are being used for decision-making in marine conservation policies and to protect the biodiversity of our seas, as they provide information of high scientific value on species identification, species interactions, ecosystems, distribution and ecology. Knowing the species that inhabit certain places, their ecology, distribution and the possible threats they face is fundamental to identify priority conservation areas and develop effective conservation policies. In this way, biological collections are an essential tool to guide decisions on the protection and sustainable use of marine ecosystems.