ReefSYN | Standardized datasets of Brazilian reef diversity in space and time - Dataset XII: Benthic communities’ monitoring in Abrolhos Bank

Study Extent

This dataset includes samples of five locations and 28 localities nested within locations, but not evenly distributed in space.

Sampling

Benthic communities assessments were performed at the same locations, localities and depths as fish stationary censuses (Dataset II), using either point-intersect technique (four 10- m -transects in each depth and locality, with organisms identified in situ) or photoquadrats (~10 quadrats, 0.49 m²; the sample size (effort) varies across locations and years, see Francini-Filho et al. 2013) (Table 2). For the photoquadrat method, a mosaic of 15 high-resolution digital images totaling 0.3 m² constituted each sample (Francini-Filho et al. 2013). Quadrats were haphazardly set between 2001-2007 along a 20–50 m axis on the tops and walls of reef pinnacles and permanently delimited by fixed metal pins from 2008-2014.

Method steps

1. Relative coral cover was estimated through the identification of organisms below 300 randomly distributed points per quadrat (i.e., 20 points per photograph) using the Coral Point Count with Excel extensions software (CPCe v.4.1) (Kohler and Gill, 2006). The counts of benthic organisms (i.e. random points) were converted to percentages.

1. Agaricia agaricites
   rank: species
2. Agaricia fragilis
   rank: species
3. Ascidiacea
   rank: family
4. Bryozoa
   rank: phylum
5. Carijoa riisei
6. Cyanobacteria
7. Echinoidea
   rank: class
8. Favia gravida
   rank: species
9. Halimeda
   rank: genus
10. Madracis decactis
    rank: species
11. Meandrina braziliensis
    rank: species
12. Millepora
    rank: genus
13. Millepora alcicornis
14. Montastraea cavernosa
15. Muricea flamma
    rank: species
16. Mussismilia braziliensis
    rank: species
17. Mussismilia harttii
    rank: species
18. Mussismilia hispida
    rank: species
19. Mussismilia leptophylla
    rank: species
20. Neospongodes atlantica
    rank: species
21. Octocorallia
    rank: subclass
22. Palythoa
    rank: genus
23. Phyllogorgia dilatata
    rank: species
24. Plexaurella grandiflora
    rank: species
25. Plexaurella regia
    rank: species
26. Porifera
    rank: phylum
27. Porites astreoides
    rank: species
28. Porites branneri
    rank: species
29. Scleractinia
    rank: class
30. Siderastrea
    rank: genus
31. Spirorbinae
    rank: subfamily
32. Zoantharia
    rank: order
33. Zoanthus
    rank: genus

All data was sampled within the Abrolhos bank region.