Long-term changes in benthic communities and habitat conditions were studied at Rowley Shoals and Scott reef systems.
This collection includes data from surveys from the Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) programs at Scott Reef (from 1994) and Rowley shoals (from 1995) which are conducted usually every 1–2 years (<4 years), in addition to heat stress habitat surveys in 2016.
Each LTM location contains three replicate sites, separated by 300 m, consisting of five permanently marked 50-m transects, laid end to end and separated by 10 m. Images of the benthic community were captured at a distance of 30–50 cm from the substratum, along 1m intervals. Each image was analysed by identifying the benthic group under each of five fixed points to the lowest taxonomic resolution (Jonker et al., 2008).
Additional monitoring locations were established in 2016 to assess the effects of predicted heat stress. Sites were established at the reef crest and lagoon at each location, consisting of six permanently marked 20-m transects, laid end to end and separated by 10 m. Surveys were conducted before (January) and during (April) the time of peak heat stress in 2016, and in October 2016 at Scott Reef and October 2017 at Rowley Shoals to quantify associated reductions in coral cover.
Spatial and temporal variation in reef slope communities were compared using multivariate analyses, as well as analysis of environmental parameters. For full details see Gilmour et al., (2022).
