Sponge Biodiversity Survey in the Oceanic Shoals Marine Reserve, Northern Australia

A 2015 study by Przeslawski et al. compiled a species-level inventory of approximately 750 sponge specimens collected from the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve. The specimens were assigned to 348 species, with only 18% being taxonomically described species. The data was used to analyze biodiversity patterns in relation to geomorphic features and environmental variables to inform marine management.

Use Cases

• Modeling relationships between sponge community structure and environmental variables like depth, substrate hardness, and slope.
• Identifying biodiversity hotspots associated with raised geomorphic features such as carbonate banks and terraces.
• Comparing species richness and assemblages between different biogeographic regions (east vs west) within a marine reserve.
• Informing spatial management and monitoring strategies for marine protected areas based on observed biodiversity patterns.

Strengths

• Data is derived from three marine surveys, providing a multi-survey baseline.
• Includes approximately 750 specimens assigned to 348 species, offering a substantial species-level inventory.
• Analysis links biodiversity patterns to specific environmental variables (mean depth, backscatter, slope) and geomorphic features.

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 marine reserve studied.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Specimen collection from three marine surveys to the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve.

Time Range

2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:15:15.049905; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve, northern Australia (Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise).