Brief description
A three-pronged approach was taken to quantify patterns of abundance and coexistance at small (centimetres) to very large (hundreds of kilometres) spatial scales. This was through a 'spatio-temporal survey' (tested hypotheses about spatial and temporal variation in abundances along < 40 km of coastline and over 26 months), 'large-scale survey' (tested hypotheses about spatial variation in a hierarchical design along > 400 km of coastline) and 'nearest-neighbour study' (tested a hypothesis about the spatial segregation of individual sea urchins at several places on one reef).Lineage
Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned
Statement: In the spatio-temporal survey the study included two geographical areas (called 'regions'): in each region three different reefs were surveyed. Each reef was surveyed on six occasions over a 26-month period, between January 1999 and February 2001.
In the large-scale survey, three reefs in each of five regions (including the two regions from the spatio-temporal survey) were surveyed once, in the austral summer of 2000/2001.
In both studies, two distinct habitats were surveyed on each reef: flat or sloping rock surfaces in open sections of reef and sloping to vertical rock surfaces at the base of steep rock faces.
Abundances of invertebrates were censused by recording densities in 5 x 1m belt transects. Transect size was determined to be a suitable sampling unit for most large benthic invertebrates from the results of a pilot study. In both habitats at every reef, sea urchins and gastropods were counted within six replicate transects. To record the numbers of individuals, a 5m lead-core rope was laid on the reef and individuals within 50cm of each side of the rope were counted.
In the large-scale survey, three reefs in each of five regions (including the two regions from the spatio-temporal survey) were surveyed once, in the austral summer of 2000/2001.
In both studies, two distinct habitats were surveyed on each reef: flat or sloping rock surfaces in open sections of reef and sloping to vertical rock surfaces at the base of steep rock faces.
Abundances of invertebrates were censused by recording densities in 5 x 1m belt transects. Transect size was determined to be a suitable sampling unit for most large benthic invertebrates from the results of a pilot study. In both habitats at every reef, sea urchins and gastropods were counted within six replicate transects. To record the numbers of individuals, a 5m lead-core rope was laid on the reef and individuals within 50cm of each side of the rope were counted.
Notes
CreditGary Kendrick - Supervisor
Created: 30 07 2007
Data time period: 1999-01 to 2001-05
text: westlimit=114.96; southlimit=34.26; eastlimit=115.76; northlimit=30.26
text: uplimit=10; downlimit=5
Subjects
25 247001 |
ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES |
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS |
BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION |
BIOSPHERE |
Biosphere | Vegetation | Macroalgae |
EARTH SCIENCE |
Echinoderms |
Heliocidaris erythrogramma (Valenciennes, 1846) |
Marine Habitat |
Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Invertebrates |
Oceans | Marine Biology | Marine Plants |
oceans |
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Other Information
(PhD thesis)
Identifiers
- global : 890e75c0-3e34-11dc-b523-00188b4c0af8
