The Three Research Components of the 
2011 Hearst Biodiversity Expedition to the Philippines 
Gary C. Williams 
Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, California Academy of Sciences, 
55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, California 94118 USA; Email: gwilliams@calacademy.org 
The field research of the 2011 Hearst Biodiversity Expedition to the Philippines, was 
composed of three phases or components — a shallow-water component that 
explored the coral reefs of the Verde Island Passage primarily by snorkeling and 
SCUBA diving, a deep-water component on board the Philippine’s government ship 
MA^ DA-BFAR in the region of Batangas and Balayan Bays and the Lubang Islands 
that explored the deep benthic environment primarily by trawling and fish traps, 
and a terrestrial component by teams of botanists and entomologists that explored 
the forests of four mountainous regions in southern Luzon. 
Keywords; Phases or Components of the Expedition, Three Research Components, Shal¬ 
low-Water Component, Deep-Water Component, Terrestrial Component 
The Hearst Biodiversity Expedition to the Philippines took place between 24 April and 11 June 
2011, and apart from the 1905/06 Galapagos Expedition, it was the largest expedition undertaken 
by the California Academy of Sciences in its 160-year history. The multidisciplinary expedition 
was divided into several components or phases, each composed of different complements of indi¬ 
viduals in different geographic regions, which took place durmg time periods that did not neces¬ 
sarily overlap (Gosliner and Burke 2013). These components consisted of three research compo¬ 
nents (Figs. 1-10), educational outreach (Fig. 11 A), and a large, well-attended symposium at the 
end of the expedition that was conducted at the University of the Philippines on 8 June 2011 (Fig. 
IIB). All of the components of the expedition not only included scientists, field researchers, media 
personnel, and educators from the California Academy of Sciences, but also from several institu¬ 
tions in the Philippines and the United States. 
The three research components 
The Shallow-Water Component 
Figures 1^ 
Shallow-water research took place on coral reefs (Fig. 2) and associated habitats primarily 
through the use of SCUBA using Nitrox technology (Fig. 4). Thirty-eight dive sites were explored 
in the Verde Island Passage region around Maricaban Island and the Calumpan Peninsula, Calata- 
gan in Balayan Bay, and Puerto Galera on northern Mindoro (Fig lA). Research activities took 
place between 28 April and 27 May, involving thirty-three individuals from a variety of institutions 
in the Philippines and the United States, including research biologists, aquarium biologists, stu¬ 
dents, dive safety personnel, and dive guides. SCUBA diving and snorkeling took place between 
surface waters and approximately 40 m in depth. One hundred seventeen dives were logged, with 
a wealth of marine invertebrates (Fig. 3) and fishes collected. All material was subsequently trans¬ 
ported, curated, and housed at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Several diur¬ 
nal dives and a night dive were conducted each day, with periodic rest periods scheduled for par¬ 
ticular divers. Headquarters of the operation and field laboratories were located at Club Ocellaris 
on the Calumpan Peninsula just southwest of the village of Anilao. In addition, the inland fresh- 
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