Abundance, biomass and species richness of macrozoobenthos along an intertidal elevation gradient
Data files
Dec 07, 2023 version files 267.51 KB
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macrozoobenthos_wadden_sea_2019.csv
258.54 KB
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README.md
8.97 KB
Abstract
Ecology aims to comprehend species distribution and its interaction with environmental factors, from global to local scales. While global environmental changes affect marine biodiversity, understanding the drivers at smaller scales remains crucial. Tidal flats can be found on most of the world’s coastlines and are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances. They are important transient ecosystems between terrestrial and marine ecosystems and their biodiversity provides important ecosystem services. Owing to this unique position at the terrestrial-marine transition, strong environmental gradients of elevation, sediment composition and food availability prevail.
The data set contains information on macrozoobenthos abundance, biomass and community composition and abiotic and biotic environmental factors at a regional and local level at back barrier tidal flats of three East-Frisian islands in Germany. As environmental data elevation, mud content in the sediment, total organic carbon (TOC), porewater nutrients and Chl a are included.
This dataset contains the raw data associated with the manuscript “Abundance, biomass and species richness of macrozoobenthos along an intertidal elevation gradient” submitted to the journal Ecology and Evolution. Included are environmental and macrozoobenthos data collected from the tidal flats of the East Frisian islands in Germany during 2019. The study area included three tidal flats at Norderney, Spiekeroog, and Wangerooge, all situated within the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony, Southern North Sea.
- Macrozoobenthos Community: Nine transects with 27 sampling stations were established, comprising three transects perpendicular to the coast on each island, with three sampling stations per transect. These stations covered a depth range from the high-tide line to the middle-tide line. Sampling was carried out in spring and summer of 2019. At each station, three subsamples for macrozoobenthos were collected using hand corers with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 20 cm, driven into the sediment at low tide. The samples were washed over a 500 µm sieve, fixed in 4%-buffered-formaldehyde solution.
- Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Sediment Composition: Surface sediment samples (< 2 cm depth) were collected from each station, freeze-dried, and ground for TOC analysis. Carbonates were removed using HCl desiccation, and TOC was measured using a CHNS-Elemental-Analyzer. Particle size distribution of the sediment was analyzed by dissolving samples in a 4%-sodium-polyphosphate solution and measuring with a laser diffraction spectrometer. The fraction of mud (<0.063 mm) was determined in volume percent.
- Inorganic Nutrients and Primary Production: Dissolved inorganic nutrients (reactive dissolved phosphate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen) were collected using rhizon samplers inserted 2 cm into the sediment and analyzed using an auto-analyzer. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) biomass was determined from sediment cores taken at each station. Chl a concentrations served as a proxy for total algal biomass.
- Site Characteristics: Included are the coordinates, the data of sampling and the elevation.
- Data that are not available are indicated by NA
- The data can be found in the “macrozoobenthos_wadden_sea_2019.csv” file
Comments and requests can be addressed to:
Jana Dewenter
Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Schleusenstraße 1, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Senckenberg am Meer, Department for Marine Research, Südstrand 40, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Jana.dewenter@uni-oldenburg.de
Description of the data and file structure
The data are provided as a “.csv” file that can be opened with e.g with a spreadsheet software. The dataset contains the following information:
| column | content | type/unit | explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| measurementID | ID number | string | unique for each sample, consists out of abbreviration for the island (Nor =Norderney, Sp=Spiekeroog, Wang=Wangeroog), transect (TA, TB, TC), station (II, III, IV), season (sum = summer, spr =spring) and a replicate number |
| island | Norderney, Spiekeroog, Wangerooge | category | name of the three islands |
| transect | A, B, C | category | total of nine transects, three at each island |
| station | II, III, IV | category | each transect consists of three stations |
| season | spring, summer | category | spring (sampling between 15.04.2019 and 17.05.2019) or summer (sampling between 2.07-30.07.2019) |
| latitude | coordinates | geographic location of data collection (Latitude WGS 84) | |
| longitude | coordinates | geographic location of data collection (Longitude WGS 84) | |
| sample_collection_date | yyyymmdd | string | The date at which the sample was taken |
| scientific_name | species name | category | species name according to World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) |
| abundance | number of individuals | numerical | number of individuals per measurementID and scientific_name |
| biomass_g | wet weight | g | wet weight per measurement ID and abundance (so if abundance is e.g. 3 than the weight is for three individuals) |
| TOC | Total organic carbon | % | The total organic carbon in the upper 2 cm of the sediment |
| elevation | elevation | AMSL | the elevation Above Mean Sea Level of the sampling station |
| temperature | temperature | °C | Temperature in °C measured in the sediment at low tide |
| DIN | dissolved inorganic nitrogen | μmol/L | the dissolved inorganic nitrogen in the sediment porewater |
| RDP | reactive dissolved phosphate | μmol/L | the reactive dissolved phosphate the sediment porewater |
| Chl.a | Chlorophyll a biomass | μg/g dw | Chlorophyll a biomass in the sediment |
| silt_clay | mud content | volume % | The mud content in the sediment |
We sampled a total of 9 transects with 27 sampling stations, i.e., three transects perpendicular to the island coast at each island comprised of three sampling stations each. Each sampling station was marked with a DGPS to estimate the elevation of the study plot. To cover the spatial and the temporal changes in the macrozoobenthos community, sampling took place once in spring and once in summer of 2019. At each of the sampling stations, we took three subsamples for macrozoobenthos with hand corers that had a diameter of 10 cm (0.0078 m2) and a height of 20 cm, which were driven into the sediment at low tide. Samples were washed over a 500 µm sieve and fixated using 4%- buffered-formaldehyde solution.
In the lab, samples were stained with rose bengal and identified to species level (or the lowest possible taxonomic unit). After taxonomic identification, abundances of each species and wet biomass were determined.
Additionally, sediment composition, Chl a, TOC, pore water nutrients (DIN, RDP) and elevation were measured at the same date and sampling sites.
Details for the data set are provided in the README file.
Datasets included:
- Macrozoobenthos_wadden_sea.csv
- Species composition of macrozoobenthos
- Abundance of macrozoobenthos
- Biomass of macrozoobenthos
- Environmental data
- Site characteristics