Macroalgal Richness and Diversity Across 2000 km of Southwestern Australian Coastline

Macroalgal species richness and diversity data collected along nearly 2000 km of temperate coastline in southwestern Australia. The study used a hierarchical design to examine patterns at spatial scales ranging from meters to hundreds of kilometers, encompassing almost 2000 km of coastline. The dataset is provided by Parks Australia and was originally published via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas.

Use Cases

• Modeling species richness clines based on temperature gradients from warmer to cooler waters.
• Analyzing the contribution of small-scale variability to total biodiversity patterns based on quadrat-level data.
• Studying the influence of regional ocean currents like the Leeuwin Current on macroalgal assemblage structure.
• Investigating the relationship between habitat heterogeneity, wave disturbance, and species diversity at local scales.

Strengths

• Spatial coverage encompasses almost 2000 km of temperate coastline.
• Data collection employed a three-factor hierarchical design across multiple spatial scales.
• The study explicitly examines the influence of both large-scale (Leeuwin Current) and small-scale (competition, wave disturbance) processes.

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 metadata update was 2026-07-16 23:16:17.517479.

Provenance

Source

Parks Australia, referencing a source publication.

Collection Method

Field survey using a three-factor hierarchical design with quadrats.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-16 23:16:17.517479; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southwestern Australian coastline, spanning almost 2000 km.