Cryptic Invertebrate Community Data from Mercury Passage, Tasmania

Australian Ocean Data Network hosts data from a study using artificial sandstone boulders to investigate benthic cryptofaunal communities on subtidal rocky reefs. The study aimed to quantify temporal and spatial patterns, the influence of reef profile, and the effect of fishing protection inside and outside the Maria Island marine reserve in eastern Tasmania. The dataset was last updated on 2026-07-22.

Use Cases

• Modeling temporal patterns of invertebrate community composition based on repeated sampling.
• Comparing species richness and abundance between protected and fished areas based on the study's spatial design.
• Analyzing the influence of sub-block reef profile on cryptofaunal community structure.
• Assessing the effectiveness of marine reserves for cryptic benthic fauna based on the inside/outside reserve comparison.

Strengths

• Study design includes a controlled comparison of locations inside and external to a marine reserve.
• Focus on cryptic invertebrate communities, a less-studied component of reef ecosystems.
• Data was last updated on 2026-07-22, suggesting recent maintenance.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Available file formats are PNG and HTML, which may not contain the primary structured data.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Data collected using artificial sandstone boulders deployed on subtidal rocky reefs.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-22 02:51:08.489565; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Mercury Passage, Maria Island marine reserve, eastern Tasmania, Australia.