Temperate Australian Rocky Reef Biota Abundance Data from Long-Term MPA Monitoring

Quantitative abundance data for fish, megafaunal invertebrates, and algal cover derived from transect-based counts at Maria Island, Tasmania. The data likely involves temporal replication on a yearly scale, following methods described by Edgar and Barrett (1997). It is collected by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in fish abundance based on long-term monitoring data.
• Model the impact of marine protection on algal community composition based on percent cover data.
• Assess biodiversity changes in megafaunal invertebrate populations based on transect counts.
• Compare spatial patterns of biota across surveyed depths (5m and 10m) at each site.

Strengths

• Data involves temporal replication on a yearly scale, enabling longitudinal analysis.
• Methods are documented in a peer-reviewed publication (Edgar and Barrett, 1997).
• Quantitative measures include species abundance and algal percent cover.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is specific to Maria Island, Tasmania; geographic generalizability is limited.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Transect-based counts at 5m and/or 10m depths, following Edgar and Barrett (1997).

Time Range

Long-term monitoring with yearly replication; specific start and end dates are unknown.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 21:07:24.643090; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Temperate Australia, specifically Maria Island, Tasmania.