Sponge Species Inventory for Oceanic Shoals Marine Reserve

Przeslawski et al. compiled a species-level inventory of approximately 750 sponge specimens from the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve in northern Australia. The specimens were assigned to 348 species, with only 18% being taxonomically described species. The study, published in 2015, used data from three marine surveys to analyze biodiversity patterns for marine management.

Use Cases

• Analyze sponge species richness and assemblage differences among individual raised geomorphic features like carbonate banks.
• Model relationships between sponge assemblages and environmental variables such as mean depth, mean backscatter, and mean slope.
• Compare sponge biodiversity patterns between eastern and western biogeographic areas of the marine reserve.
• Establish a baseline species inventory to support future monitoring and management strategies for the Key Ecological Feature.
• Investigate the association of carbonate banks and other raised geomorphic features with potential biodiversity hotspots.

Strengths

• Species-level inventory compiled from 750 sponge specimens.
• Data supports analysis across 348 identified species.
• Findings are derived from three dedicated marine surveys within the reserve.

Limitations

• Only 18% of the 348 sponge species are taxonomically described, limiting taxonomic certainty.
• Sample size and specific row/column counts are not provided in the description.
• The dataset's primary format is HTML, which may not be structured for direct computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, citing Przeslawski et al. (2015) in PLoS ONE.

Collection Method

Specimen collection and species assignment from three marine surveys within the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve.

Time Range

null

Freshness

null

Geography

Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve, northern Australia, focusing on the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise.