Phyto-MAP: a database of marine phytoplankton abundance records
A relational database integrating and harmonising marine phytoplankton abundance observations from multiple sources.
Fernando Rayón-Viña 
Zoe V. Finkel
Andrew J. Irwin
Description
Phyto-MAP integrates marine phytoplankton abundance records from published literature, archives, and institutions into a common relational data model. Abundances are standardised to cells per litre and linked to available metadata on sources, sampling, dates, locations, depths, taxonomy, and analytical protocols.
The database retains source-reported taxon designations and associated curation attributes alongside the taxonomic classifications used in each release. This structure supports the joint exploration of heterogeneous observations while preserving the information needed to interpret their provenance and processing.
Data and documentation
The distribution includes:
- The relational database in SQLite format.
- Relational CSV exports and a pre-joined export with one row per abundance record.
- The database schema and variable dictionary.
- A source bibliography and provenance index.
- Technical-validation documentation and code.
- Citation metadata, a release manifest, and SHA-256 checksums.
Usage considerations
Differences between sources in sampling effort, analytical methods, temporal and spatial precision, and taxonomic resolution should be considered before combining observations.
Retained zeros represent source-specific non-detection of a taxon under the relevant protocol, not necessarily ecological absence. Likewise, missing records should not automatically be interpreted as zero abundance.
Provenance is documented at source and subsource levels; the database does not provide a universal crosswalk between every curated record and an identifiable row in the original data.
Reference
Rayón-Viña, F., Finkel, Z. V., & Irwin, A. J. (2026). Phyto-MAP, a curated database of marine phytoplankton abundance records [Data set]. Zenodo.
When using the data in research, cite the dataset version consulted and the contributing original sources relevant to your work.