Benthic Invertebrate Abundance and Biomass in Atlantic Nova Scotia Seagrass Beds

Macrofauna abundance and biomass data from eelgrass and bare soft sediment sites in Atlantic Nova Scotia. The dataset covers collections from 2009 to 2013. It was published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2020 and is associated with peer-reviewed ecological studies.

Use Cases

• Compare macrofauna abundance and biomass between eelgrass and bare sediment habitats to assess habitat value.
• Analyze temporal trends in benthic secondary production using data collected from 2009 to 2013.
• Model relationships between environmental conditions and macrofauna biomass in temperate coastal ecosystems.

Strengths

• Data spans a 5-year collection period from 2009 to 2013.
• Includes both abundance (per m²) and biomass (mg dry per m²) measurements for macrofauna.
• Associated with at least two peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Limitations

• The total number of sample rows and specific column features are not documented.
• Geographic scope is limited to specific sites in Atlantic Nova Scotia.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Coastal Ecosystems Science Division.

Collection Method

Field collection of macrofauna (≥ 500µm) from eelgrass and adjacent bare soft sediments.

Time Range

2009 to 2013

Freshness

Data collection ended in 2013; metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Sites in the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.