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.

Increasing the predictive capabilities of ecological models is important for providing solutions to environmental problems. Progress in this direction relies on the understanding of basic ecological processes. Here, I used interaction web models and natural history information to predict the direct and indirect interactions that regulated succession in a relatively unstudied rocky shore assemblage in the northwest Mediterranean. Natural changes in abundance of organisms and general patterns of succession were examined during March 1991–September 1995. It was predicted that limpets enhanced succession by preventing the monopolization of the substratum by filamentous algae, indirectly facilitating the establishment of other colonists, such as the red alga Rissoella verruculosa, cyanobacteria (Rivularia spp.), and barnacles (Chthamalus spp.). This hypothesis was first tested by comparing succession in artificially denuded patches of substratum maintained at reduced densities of herbivores, with similar patches exposed to natural densities. Variability in the effects of limpets was examined in relation to the size of patches and time of clearance. To unravel the pathways of interaction that influenced the outcomes of this long‐term experiment, I manipulated separate components of the assemblage at early and late stages of succession. I tested whether the filamentous algae inhibited the establishment of Rissoella and Rivularia in the absence of limpets, and whether grazers could exert direct positive effects on these algae. I also tested whether the colonization of Rissoella and barnacles under the natural grazing regime could reduce the local abundance of limpets, thereby facilitating the establishment of filamentous algae at later stages of succession. The filamentous algae monopolized the substratum in the experimental absence of limpets, while in the presence of these grazers, Rissoella, Rivularia, and barnacles colonized. The filamentous algae inhibited the establishment of Rissoella (but not that of Rivularia) independently of the presence of limpets, and there was no positive direct effect of these herbivores on Rissoella. Interactions between barnacles and Rissoella were negligible, but these organisms jointly reduced the coverage of Rivularia and the local density of limpets, eventually facilitating the colonization of filamentous algae late in succession. A main implication of the results of this study is that interaction web models integrated with a basic understanding of the mechanisms of interaction and supported by natural history information, may lead to correct predictions of the direct and indirect effects of species and their influence on succession. As an extension of this approach, I have presented a set of general, qualitative models of succession, applicable to different marine benthic habitats. It is argued that making these models more quantitative, through the analysis of specific alternatives to the null hypotheses, could substantially increase our capabilities to understand and predict the dy...

In the Anthropocene, marine ecosystems are rapidly shifting to new ecological states. Achieving effective conservation of marine biodiversity has become a fast‐moving target because of both global climate change and continuous shifts in marine policies. How prepared are we to deal with this crisis? We examined EU Member States Programs of Measures designed for the implementation of EU marine environmental policies, as well as recent European Marine Spatial Plans, and discovered that climate change is rarely considered operationally. Further, our analysis revealed that monitoring programs in marine protected areas are often insufficient to clearly distinguish between impacts of local and global stressors. Finally, we suggest that while the novel global Blue Growth approach may jeopardize previous marine conservation efforts, it can also provide new conservation opportunities. Adaptive management is the way forward (e.g., preserving ecosystem functions in climate change hotspots, and identifying and targeting climate refugia areas for protection) using Marine Spatial Planning as a framework for action, especially given the push for Blue Growth.