Validation of Image-Based Species Identifications of Black Corals (Order Antipatharia) on Mesophotic Rocks

Details

• Journal Title:
  Gulf of Mexico Science
• Personal Author:
  Nuttall, Marissa F. ; Opresko, Dennis M. ; Hickerson, Emma L.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System) ; NOS (National Ocean Service) ; ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries)
• Description:
  Biodiversity, an important measure of ecosystem health, is challenging to ascertain using sampled specimens in remote deep-sea environments. As image-based identifications become a predominant method for deep-sea species characterizations, there is a need to evaluate the accuracy of species- and genus-level identifications from video and still images to provide a reliable measure of biodiversity. This study presents a validation of the ability to make accurate image-based identifications of black coral species in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico from standard-definition video collected by a remotely operated vehicle. Results indicate that the greatest number of misidentifications occurred at species-level groupings (42.2% error), whereas genus-level groupings possessed 12.0% error, and identifications to kappa groupings had no error. We recommend genus-level groupings to maintain accurate identifications while maximizing estimates of biodiversity.
• Keywords:
  General Earth and Planetary Sciences
• Source:
  Gulf of Mexico Science, 33(1)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.18785/goms.3301.03
• ISSN:
  1087-688X
• Format:
  PDF
• Publisher:
  University of Southern Mississippi
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Rights Information:
  Other
• Compliance:
  Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:95db3b8c1a17312fa40f5fd06e22605c80ec163140b7479ffedd2b2629fcaec53c66b3cb69338f82484c8f4f9d9763c1c344a75c04d9961f24d0127f65008a8b
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/64460/noaa_64460_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.52 MB ]