Time series: benthic taxa abundance data for Dove Station M1 (1972-2012)

This file contains data on the abundances (per square metre) of benthic macroinfaunal taxa sampled at Dove Station M1 in the central-western North Sea, 10.5 km east of the Northumberland coast. These data were used to derive the principal components analysed in the paper 'Explaining ecological shifts: The roles of temperature and primary production in the long-term dynamics of benthic faunal composition' by Clare et al. The time series runs from autumn 1972 to autumn 2012. Samples were collected in the spring and autumn of each year, with few exceptions. All taxa that occurred at a density of ten or more individuals per square metre, at any single sampling occasion, are included in this data set.