Australian Ocean Data Network hosts a dataset on infaunal biodiversity and ecological function on the Lord Howe Island shelf. The data was collected using high-resolution multibeam sonar mapping and sediment sampling with Smith-McIntyre grabs to examine bio-physical relationships structuring benthic assemblages. The dataset was last updated on 2026-05-05.
Use Cases
- Modeling infaunal community distribution based on geomorphic zones (drowned lagoon, relict reef, outer shelf) described in the study.
- Analyzing relationships between sediment composition (e.g., sorting, grain size) and population abundances.
- Investigating the role of seafloor topography and oceanic currents in supporting suspension feeder densities.
- Assessing the impact of biogeographic isolation and sediment dynamics on endemic versus transient species populations.
- Predicting ecological function and trophic structure across different shelf habitats using bio-physical surrogates.
Strengths
- Data integrates high-resolution multibeam sonar seabed mapping with direct biological sampling.
- Study explicitly links broad-scale biogeographic processes with local-scale physical drivers.
- Analysis identifies three distinct geomorphic zones as strong predictors of community structure.
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 data_gov_au, focusing solely on Lord Howe Island.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- High-resolution multibeam sonar mapping and sediment/infauna sampling using Smith-McIntyre grab.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-05 00:11:34.882804; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Lord Howe Island shelf