Long-term Ecological Monitoring Research Brazilian Oceanic Islands (benthic community)

Study Extent

All Brazilian Oceanic islands have been surveyed once a year since the start of the PELD ILOC project in 2013, with the exception of TI 2014.

Sampling

At each site three to six 20 m-transects were placed on the reefs in parallel to the coastline and spaced apart by 2 m. We sampled 10 to 11 quadrats (50 x 50 cm) photoquadrats at each transect each year. The variability in the number of transects and photoquadrats is due to the possibility of distributing transects on the reef while keeping their orientation in relation to the coastline and the distance between them, considering the different geomorphological features of each site. Also, SPSPA only has one site with one transect at different depths because of the restricted area of the inlet of the main island. The posterior image processing consisted on the identification of taxonomic and morpho-anatomical benthic groups and on the estimate of their percentage cover in each sampling year. For those analyses, the Coral Point Count with Excel extensions software (CPCe v. 4.1) or photoQuad softwares were applied, by overlaying 50 random points on each image and visually identifying the organisms below each point.

Quality Control

Details about the quality control can be found at: https://github.com/peld-iloc//Dwc-A_benthic_PELD

Method steps

1. Details about the data processing can be found at: https://github.com/peld-iloc//Dwc-A_benthic_PELD

Relative cover includes 51 taxa identified at the lowest taxonomical level, which varied from Phylum to species level. Also, some classifications are linked to the morpho-anatomical characteristics of the observed taxa (e.g., foliose macroalgae, turf). Uncolonized substrate and unknown taxa relative contribution is available.

1. Aiolochroia crassa
   rank: species
2. Amphiroa
   rank: genus
3. Amphiroideae
   rank: subfamily
4. Asteroidea
   rank: class
5. Bivalvia
   rank: class
6. Bryopsis
   rank: genus
7. Bryozoa
   rank: phylum
8. Caulerpa
   rank: genus
9. Caulerpa cupressoides
   rank: species
10. Caulerpa mexicana
    rank: species
11. Caulerpa racemosa
    rank: species
12. Caulerpa verticillata
    rank: species
13. Chaetomorpha
    rank: genus
14. Chondrilla nucula
    rank: species
15. Cladophora
    rank: genus
16. Clathria
    rank: genus
17. Cyanobacteria
    rank: phylum
18. Diadema antillarum
    rank: species
19. Dictyopteris
    rank: genus
20. Dictyosphaeria versluysii
    rank: species
21. Dictyota
    rank: genus
22. Digenea simplex
    rank: species
23. Echinometra lucunter
    rank: species
24. Favia gravida
    rank: species
25. Galaxaura
    rank: genus
26. Halimeda discoidea
    rank: species
27. Hypnea musciformis
    rank: species
28. Ircinia strobilina
    rank: species
29. Lithophylloideae
    rank: subfamily
30. Mesophyllum erubescens
    rank: species
31. Millepora
    rank: genus
32. Monanchora brasiliensis
    rank: species
33. Montastraea cavernosa
    rank: species
34. Mussismilia
    rank: genus
35. Neomeris annulata
    rank: species
36. Padina
    rank: genus
37. Palythoa
    rank: genus
38. Peyssonnelia
    rank: genus
39. Polychaeta
    rank: class
40. Porifera
    rank: phylum
41. Porites astreoides
    rank: species
42. Sargassum
    rank: genus
43. Scleractinia
    rank: order
44. Siderastrea
    rank: genus
45. Tubastraea
    rank: genus
46. Tunicata
    rank: subphylum
47. Valonia ventricosa
    rank: species
48. Verongula gigantea
    rank: species
49. Verongula rigida
    rank: species
50. Xestospongia muta
    rank: species
51. Zoantharia
    rank: order

This dataset includes relative benthic cover information of the Brazilian four oceanic islands: St. Peter and St. Paul’s Archipelago, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Rocas Atoll and Trindade Island and Martin Vaz Archipelago.