The Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve in northern Australia contains data from three marine surveys. Approximately 750 sponge specimens were collected and assigned to 348 species, with only 18% being taxonomically described. The study by Przeslawski et al. (2015) analyzes relationships between sponge assemblages and environmental variables like depth, substrate hardness, and slope.
Use Cases
- Identify biodiversity hotspots based on associations with carbonate banks and raised geomorphic features.
- Model community structure differences using environmental variables like depth, substrate hardness, and slope.
- Compare sponge assemblages among individual raised geomorphic features to inform spatial management.
- Establish baseline species richness and assemblage data for future monitoring of the marine reserve.
Strengths
- Includes approximately 750 collected sponge specimens.
- Species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys.
- Analysis includes relationships with specific environmental variables: mean depth, mean backscatter, and mean slope.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific reserve studied.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys.
- Geography
- Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in northern Australia, specifically the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise.