SBC LTER: Reef: Long-term experiment: biomass of kelp forest species, ongoing since 2008 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-sbc/119/7. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: These data represent values of biomass density for more than 200 species of macroalgae, invertebrates and fish measured in fixed plots at five reefs as part of a long-term experiment designed to evaluate the effects of disturbance to giant kelp on the structure and productivity of the benthic community. Taxon-specific relationships between size and mass were applied to field measurements of species abundance to estimate biomass density of each species. The five reefs (Arroyo Quemado 34°28.048’N, 120°07.031’W; Carpinteria 34°23.474’N, 119°32.510’W; Isla Vista 34°23.275’N, 119°32.792’W; Mohawk 34°23.649’N, 119°43.762’W; and Naples 34° 25.342’N, 119° 57.102’W) ranged in depth from 5.8 m to 8.9 m (MLLW) and were chosen to represent a range of physical and biological characteristics known to influence subtidal macroalgal assemblages in the region. A common (but not always persistent) feature on these reefs was the presence of the giant kelp, which forms a dense canopy at the sea surface that suppresses recruitment and growth of understory algae below it. See Methods for more information. The primary research objective of the Santa Barbara Coastal LTER is to investigate the importance of land and ocean processes in structuring giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera ) forest ecosystems. As in many temperate regions, the shallow rocky reefs in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, are dominated by giant kelp forests. Because of their close proximity to shore, kelp forests are influenced by physical and biological processes occurring on land as well as in the open ocean. SBC LTER research focuses on measuring and modeling the patterns, transport, and processing of material constituents (e.g., nutrients, carbon, sediment, organisms, and pollutants) from terrestrial watersheds and the coastal ocean to these reefs. Specifically, we are examining the effects of these material inputs on the primary production of kelp, and the population dynamics, community structure, and trophic interactions of kelp forest ecosystems.