MARINe/PISCO: Intertidal: MARINe Coastal Biodiversity Surveys: Swath Surveys Summarized

Pete Raimondi

doi:10.6085/aa/marine_cbs.11.6

MARINe/PISCO: Intertidal: MARINe Coastal Biodiversity Surveys: Swath Surveys Summarized

Citation

Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe), Partnership Interdisciplinary Studies Coastal Oceans for of (PISCO), & Pete Raimondi. (2023). MARINe/PISCO: Intertidal: MARINe Coastal Biodiversity Surveys: Swath Surveys Summarized. PISCO MN. doi:10.6085/AA/marine_cbs.11.6. accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-11-21.

Description

Long-Term Monitoring and Biodiversity Surveys done by the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) occur throughout the year at sites ranging from Southeast Alaska to Mexico. Long Term Monitoring surveys assess within-site community change over time, while Biodiversity surveys were designed to capture among-site patterns of community structure (abundance and spatial distribution of species). In combination, the long-term, targeted species approach and the biodiversity surveys provide a wealth of information about the structure and dynamics of rocky intertidal communities along the Pacific Coast of North America.

This metadata record documents the Swath surveys for the MARINe Biodiversity Surveys. Biodiversity surveys are comprised of four components, all sampled along the same transects: (1) point contact estimates of intertidal cover and substrate characteristics, (2) swath transects to estimate the density of seastars and abalone, (3) quadrat sampling to estimate the density of mobile invertebrates, and (4) topography (elevation relative to mean low low water (mllw)). Selected sites are resampled on a 3-5 year cycle. A site is defined as a contiguous rocky bench of at least 30m. Swath sampling consists of recording the number of seastars and abalone on eleven 2m wide transects of variable length extending from the upper intertidal to the low intertidal.

Please note that species of concern have been removed from all public datasets, as well as data from sites funded by the National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Navy. For a comprehensive dataset, please contact the data set owner(s). For more information about the data described in this metadata record, please visit pacificrockyintertidal.org.

The long-term California MPA boundary and project info tables referenced in this dataset can be found as a separate dataset here: https://opc.dataone.org/view/doi:10.25494/P6V884

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Swath sampling consists of recording the number of seastars and other large invertebrates in a two meter wide band centered over each transect. The location (to the nearest half meter along the transect), number, and species names are recorded. Intertidal surveys are comprised of four components, all sampled along the same transects: (1) point contact estimates of intertidal cover and substrate characteristics, (2) swath transects to estimate the density of seastars and abalone, (3) quadrat sampling to estimate the density of mobile invertebrates, and (4) topography (elevation relative to mean low low water (mllw)). Please note that these data do not reflect all species present in a given area. In addition, the information in this Data Set is limited by the methods described in our survey protocols. For more information, see pacificrockyintertidal.org.

Sampling

The distribution and abundance of these organisms are recorded from a two meter wide band centered over each transect line from high to low zone. This band is searched for all seastars and abalone. For a detailed description of the methods, see this document: https://marine.ucsc.edu/biodiversityprotocol.pdf

Method steps

For a detailed description of the methods, see this document: https://marine.ucsc.edu/biodiversityprotocol.pdf

Taxonomic Coverages

Animals from intertidal rocky shores.

Mollusca
rank: phylum
Chitonida
rank: order
Heliasteridae
rank: family
Forcipulatida
rank: order
Arthropoda
rank: phylum
Polyplacophora
rank: class
Asteropseidae
rank: family
Goniasteridae
rank: family
Spinulosida
rank: order
Decapoda
rank: order
Echinasteridae
rank: family
Ophiuroidea
rank: class
Asterinidae
rank: family
Ophidiasteridae
rank: family
Palinuridae
rank: family
Asteriidae
rank: family
Malacostraca
rank: class
Valvatida
rank: order
Asteroidea
rank: class
Acanthochitonidae
rank: family
Animalia
rank: kingdom
Echinodermata
rank: phylum

Geographic Coverages

Biodiversity Surveys are done at sites ranging from southeast Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

originator
Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe)
US
homepage: https://pacificrockyintertidal.org

originator
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO)
US
homepage: http://www.piscoweb.org

Pete Raimondi
originator
University of California, Santa Cruz
US
email: raimondi@ucsc.edu

Dave Lohse
administrative point of contact
Univeristy of California, Santa Cruz
email: dlohse@ucsc.edu

Marine Lebrec
processor
position: Data Specialist
CeNCOOS/MBARI
US
email: mlebrec@mbari.org
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3806-5542

Rani Gaddam
administrative point of contact
position: Research Associate
MARINe/PISCO Research Group at UC Santa Cruz
US
email: gaddam@ucsc.edu
homepage: https://pacificrockyintertidal.org

Melissa Miner
administrative point of contact
position: Research Associate
MARINe/PISCO Research Group at UC Santa Cruz
US
email: cmminer@ucsc.edu
homepage: https://pacificrockyintertidal.org