MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Long-term Community Dynamics: Backreef (Lagoon) Corals Annual Survey, ongoing since 2005

This dataset contains the percentage cover of all stony corals (Scleractinia, pooled among genera) and other major groups analyzed from 0.5 x 0.5 m photographic quadrats at the Backreef habitat at the Moorea Coral Reef LTER, French Polynesia. This survey time series began in 2005 and is repeated each year in April. Functional groups counted are: Scleractinian corals, Macroalgae, Crustose Coralline Algae / Bare Space, Soft Corals, Hydrocorals ( Millepora ), Algal Turf and Sand. The coral community was sampled photographically in all represented habitats surrounding the island: Fringing Reef, Lagoon, and Outer Reef. This dataset contains only Lagoon (Backreef) data (see knb-lter-mcr.4 for the other habitats) and is structured in a repeated-measures protocol to allow a statistical contrast of sites, shores and times. Community structure was determined through a coarse analysis of the benthic community, initially completed in situ (2005), but using photoquadrats from 2006. There are quadrats analyzed at each of five areas within each site, and the areas are revisited (but not the quadrats) each year to support the repeated measures design. There are two tables available, providing different views of the same data: a long table having all values in one column and a wide table having a separate column for each observed object. Detailed methods are available in the protocols section. This material uses data collected by the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (MCR LTER) site under Grant No. OCE 2224354 (and earlier awards). Additional financial support to the MCR LTER site was provided through a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Research was completed under permits issued by the French Polynesian Government (Délégation à la Recherche) and the Haut-commissariat de la République en Polynésie Francaise (DTRT) (Protocole d'Accueil 2005-2024).