Concurrent Planktobenthic and Benthic Fauna Samples from Carnarvon Shelf

A novel tri-layered net system, the Mounted Assembly for Planktobenthic Sampling (MAPS), was deployed on the Carnarvon Shelf in Western Australia. The method successfully collected separate samples of benthic and planktobenthic fauna, including a broad range of organisms like mysids and fragile larvae. The dataset was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-06-27.

Use Cases

• Analyze species correlations between planktobenthic and benthic communities based on the described concurrent sampling.
• Study the distribution of fragile planktobenthic larvae and adults based on the tri-layered net collection method.
• Investigate nutrient cycling and biogeography using paired benthic and suprabenthic specimen data.
• Develop surrogacy models for marine biodiversity based on the correlated sample data mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Describes a novel, field-tested sampling method (MAPS) for concurrent collection.
• Successfully collected a wide variety of epibenthic, infaunal, and planktobenthic animals.
• The tri-layered net was effective at collecting smaller fragile organisms that might otherwise be destroyed.

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 single deployment on the Carnarvon Shelf.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Deployment of the Mounted Assembly for Planktobenthic Sampling (MAPS), a tri-layered net with a seafloor-triggered mechanism attached to an epibenthic sled.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 19:50:30.270257; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Carnarvon Shelf, Western Australia