Data for coral distribution on bommies in Moorea—deployment of coral nubbins and clod cards on bommies in 2022
Data files
Aug 19, 2025 version files 52.08 KB
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ALL_bommies_taxa.csv
26.01 KB
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ALL_CLODS_-_Controls.csv
519 B
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ALL_CLODS.csv
12.90 KB
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ALL_WaxDip.csv
2.99 KB
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ALL_weights.csv
4.06 KB
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README.md
5.60 KB
Abstract
On shallow coral reefs, coral bommies create patchy communities where interactions among patches are likely to affect a variety of ecological features. Here, we describe bommies in the back reef of Moorea, French Polynesia, and evaluate the role of select factors in determining their size, shape, and distribution. We tested the hypothesis that the distribution and growth of corals vary across the surface of bommies (i.e., north, south, east, and west sides), and therefore might play a role in determining bommie shape and their propensity for fission and fusion. Bommies were elliptical in planar shape, with their long axes parallel to the ambient flow and perpendicular to the direction of offshore waves. Porites spp. and Pocillopora spp. were the most abundant corals, and they were uniformly distributed over the surface of bommies. During April 2022, small colonies (≤ 4 cm height) of Pocillopora spp. grew at similar rates on the north, south, east, and west sides of the bommies, among which integrated seawater flow during the experiment was similar. These results suggest that the contemporary growth and distribution of corals are unlikely to play a strong role in determining the features of present-day bommie. Evaluating how environmental conditions mediate the structure of coral bommies in shallow habitats will help to understand whether habitat mosaics can mediate coral reef resilience in the Anthropocene.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jwstqjqk6
Description of the data and file structure
Data are for benthic coral surveys on habitat patches in Moorea from April and May of 2022 across sites on the north shore of Snubbins Lagoon. Manipulative experiment data are for the deployment of Pocillopora spp. Nubbins (~4cm tall) on bommies and Plaster-of-paris clod card dissolution blocks. All the missing data are represented as NA.
Files and variables
File: ALL_bommies_taxa.csv
Description: Dataset from benthic surveys of corals on bommies in the lagoon in Moorea across three sites during April and May of 2022.
Variables
- site: 1 of 3 across the north shore lagoon
- date: of collection
- length: (cm) measured as planar distance from the longest point on the bommie
- width: (cm) measured as planar distance from the widest point othe n the bommie
- height: (cm) measured as planar distance from benthos to the highest point on the bommie
- SA(m2): (in m2) estimated planar surface area of bommie
- bommie: unique number for each bommie sampled
- angle: of primary axis of bis ommie relative to reef crest, measured from handheld compass
- The adrant: each bommie is divided into quarters along a planar surface divided relative to the reef crest
- direction: of each quadrant relative to the reef crest
- Acropora: corals counted within a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat or quadrant, with the total count within the quadrant by the area of the quadrant
- Porities: corals counted within a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat or a quadrant, with the total count within the quadrant divided by the area of the quadrant
- Pocillopora: corals counted within a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat or quadrant, with the total count within the quadrant divided by the area of the quadrant
- Montipora: corals counted within a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat or a quadrant, with the total count within the quadrant divided by the area of the quadrant
- Other: corals counted within a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat or quadrant, with the total count within the quadrant divided by the area of the quadrant
File: ALL_CLODS.csv
Description: Dataset from deployment of clod cards (plaster-of-paris mix with water) on bommies in the north shore lagoon on Moorea.
Variables
- site: (same as above)
- bommie ID: unique ID for each bommie used in deployment
- quadrant: (same as above)
- treatment: (same as above)
- date deployed: onto the reef
- pre-treatment weight: (g) of clod card and base
- post-treatment weight: (g) of clod card and base after 24 hours immersed on the reef, rinsed in fresh water, and dried to constant weight
- proportion from control: calculated in "ALL_CLODS - Controls", outlined below
- correction: (g) calculated as pre-treatment weight - correction
- corrected pre-treatment weight:
- difference final: (g) calculated as corrected pre-treatment weight - post-treatment weight
- rate dissolution: (g/hr) (calculated as the difference final / 24 hours). Calculations from Brown & Carpenter 2015 - Marine Biology.
File: ALL_CLODS_-_Controls.csv
Description: Dataset from the cloud card controls used to standardize cloud cards in the data sheet titled "ALL_CLODS".
Variables
- Batch: two clod cards made per batch of Plaster-of-Paris mix
- date deployed: in bucket
- pre-treatment weight: (g)
- Post-treatment weight: (g) after 24 hours in treatment
- difference: (g) of pre- and post-treatment weights
- Average difference: (g) of pre- and post-treatment weights in each batch
- Average post-treatment weight: (g) of each batch
- proportion dissolution: (g) dividing average difference by average post-treatment weight per batch
- mean proportion: average of all batches
File: ALL_weights.csv
Description: Dataset from the deployment of coral nubbins on the north shore lagoon in Moorea.
Variables
- site: (same as above)
- date: of deployment of nubbins
- bommie.ID: (same as above - see "ALL_CLODS")
- quadrant: (same as above - see "All_bommies_taxa")
- pre-treatment: (g) buoyant weight of coral nubbin + apoxy base
- post-treatment: (g) buoyant weight of coral nubbin + apoxy base
- change in BW (g): (g) pre-treatment - post-treatment
- abs_change_DW: (g) calculated from change in BW / (1-density of salt water (g/cm^3)/aragonite density(g/mL)), Davies 1989 - Marine Biology
- SA: outlined in "ALL_WaxDip" file, above
- GR (mg/day): (mg/day) growth rate of coral nubbin, calculated as abs_change_DW / #days (20) / SA ("ALL_WaxDip" file, outlined below)
File: ALL_WaxDip.csv
Description: Dataset from wax dip of coral nubbins to estimate surface area as per Stimson and Kinzie 1991 - J Exp Mar Biol Ecol.
Variables
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site: of deployed coral nubbin
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date: of wax measurements
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bommie.ID: see "ALL_bommies_taxa", above
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quadrant: see "ALL_bommies_taxa", above
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1 layer wt (g): (g) weight of coral nubbin dipped in a single layer of paraffin wax
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2 layers wt (g): (g) weight of coral nubbin dipped in two layers of paraffin wax
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change in mass: (g) between 2 and 1 layers of wax
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SA: (cm ^2) estimated surface area of coral nubbin calculated from calibration equation =10.496*change in mass + 6.4875
Calibration was conducted by dipping objects of known surface area in 2 layers of wax and calculating a slope and intercept of the relationship between the change in mass and known surface area. Slope = 10.496 and intercept = 6.4875.