A study of infaunal biodiversity and ecological function on the Lord Howe Island shelf, conducted by the Australian Ocean Data Network. It integrates high-resolution multibeam sonar seabed mapping with sediment and infauna samples collected using a Smith-McIntyre grab. The dataset was last updated on June 23, 2026.
Use Cases
- Modeling infaunal community structure based on broad-scale geomorphic zones (drowned lagoon, relict reef, outer shelf) mentioned in the description.
- Analyzing relationships between sediment composition (e.g., sorting, mean grain size) and finer-scale community patchiness.
- Investigating the role of biogeographic isolation and local-scale physical processes (disturbance, nutrient supply) in structuring shelf assemblages.
- Predicting the spatial distribution of species richness and abundance using seafloor topography and physical wave disturbance as factors.
Strengths
- Integrates high-resolution multibeam sonar seabed mapping with direct biological and sediment sampling.
- Explicitly links three distinct geomorphic zones to infaunal community and trophic structure.
- Identifies specific areas (topographically raised sites on the outer shelf) supporting the highest levels of infaunal diversity.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Freshness should be verified; last updated date is in the future (2026-06-23).
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Seabed mapping via multibeam sonar and biological/physical sampling via Smith-McIntyre grab.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-23 01:50:39.261849
- Geography
- Lord Howe Island shelf