Seagrass and Sediment Microbial Data from a Warming Field Experiment in Australia

Field experiment data from Lake Macquarie, Australia, investigating the impact of long-term ocean warming on seagrass performance and sediment microbial communities. The dataset includes measurements from a common garden transplant experiment with Zostera muelleri plants sourced from warmed and ambient sites over one month. It was authored by Renske Jongen and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling seagrass growth responses based on sediment microbial community composition and warming history.
• Analyzing shifts in bacterial taxa, such as sulphate-reducing groups, in relation to sediment warming.
• Comparing the effects of bulk sediment versus rhizosphere microbial communities on plant biomass under warming conditions.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a controlled field experiment with specific treatments (intact/disrupted microbial communities, warm/ambient origins).
• Dataset is openly available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.
• Focuses on a specific, ecologically important seagrass species (Zostera muelleri) in a defined geographic location (Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is very small (33.6 KB), indicating limited scope and likely a summary or subset of the full experimental data.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Data from a common garden field experiment involving plant and sediment transplants with microbial community manipulation.

Time Range

Experimental period covered one month; sites referenced have experienced warming since 1984.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-13 03:30:35; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.