Environmental temperature data collected at Cerro Mundo Bay, San Cristobal, Galapagos from 2022-2024 (Galapagos 2021 project)

Increased standing macroalgal biomass in upwelling zones is generally assumed to be the result of higher nutrient flux due to upwelled waters, However, other factors can strongly impact macroalgal communities. For example, herbivory and temperature, via their effects on primary producers and the metabolic demands of consumers, can also influence macroalgal biomass and productivity, respectively. Although there is a fair number of studies looking at the interactive effects of herbivores and nutrients in both tropical and temperate regions, there is a lack of studies looking at these effects in tropical or subtropical upwelling regions. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects that herbivores, temperature, and nutrient availability have on standing macroalgal biomass. We manipulated nutrient availability and herbivory in six field experiments during contrasting productivity and thermal regimes (cool-upwelling and warm, non-upwelling season) on a subtidal nearshore rocky reef.

Here, we present a set of temperature (°C) data collected at Cerro Mundo Bay, San Cristobal, Galapagos from September 2022 to August 2024. The environmental temperature was recorded every 10 minutes using a HOBO Water Temperature pro V2 Data Logger (Onset®) attached to the seafloor at a 10 meters depth mark.